The Cincinnati Reds started their off-season with a big announcement on Friday when they fired manager Dusty Baker.
Baker had one more year on his contract, but four straight losses to the Pirates, including the Wild Card game, and the Reds postseason woes over the last four years led to his early release. He received a two-year extension last season after guiding the Reds to a NL Central crown and a 2-0 lead in the NLDS, but Cincinnati failed to win a game at home against the eventual World Series Champions (San Francisco).
In six years he compiled a 509-463 record with the Reds and finished the year 16th all-time in career wins (1671) and was second only to Jim Leyland of the Tigers for active managers. Baker was one of three managers and the first since Sparky Anderson to lead the Reds to more than one postseason appearance, but unlike the other two, he did not lead the team to a World Series Championship.
He inherited a club that was 72-90 in 2007 under Jerry Narron and interim manager Pete Mackanin. Also ushered in shortly after Baker was GM Walt Jocketty who took over for Wayne Krivsky early in the 2008 season. Pitching coach Brian Price joined the team in 2009 replacing Dick Pole.
Under Baker, the Reds developed stars such as Joey Votto and Jay Bruce and earned their first trip to the postseason since Davey Johnson led them to the 1995 NLCS. Now Baker joins Johnson (Washington), along with Eric Wedge (Seattle) and Dale Sveum (Chicago), as manager who will not be returning next season. Sveum has landed a job with the Royals bench, Johnson retired, and Wedge would have been ousted for performance, but resigned first.
Jocketty mentioned Price, who developed the Reds staff into one of the league's best, and Louisville Bats coach and former Nationals manager Jim Riggleman as in-house candidates, but did not expand beyond that.
Baker,64, stated that he did not have any plans to retire.
