Dusty Baker’s time away from baseball didn’t last long. After retiring as a manager following the 2023 season, Baker reportedly accepted a role in the San Francisco Giants’ front office, where he’ll serve as a special assistant.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Baker will assist the president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi, on the baseball side while also helping Giants’ president, Larry Baer, with the ownership part of the business. The Giants are expected to make the move official at some point this week.
The move will mark Baker’s return to the Giants after 20 years. Baker first played with the Giants in 1984 and later served as a first base and hitting coach between 1988 and 1992. He was hired as the team manager in 1993 and spent a decade in the position, compiling an 840- 715 record and reaching the World Series in 2002.
During his managerial stint with the Giants, Baker had a poor relationship with owner Peter Magowan, causing the team not to renew his contract. He would go on to manage the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Houston Astros.
Baker spent the past four seasons with the Astros, making the playoffs in each one of them. Under Baker, Houston won three AL West titles, made two World Series trips, and won a World Series in 2022.
The Giants will now hope that Baker’s legendary status in the game can help them turn around the franchise’s fortunes. The San Francisco team has only one playoff appearance since 2017 while finishing the last season with a 79-83 record.
