Astros sold on Dusty Baker, pick up option for next season

The Houston Astros are bringing back Dusty Baker.

The Houston Astros know that the immediate future is going to be incredibly rocky for them considering the shockwaves from their sign-stealing scandal are still being felt. Knowing they need an experienced, veteran hand that is as cool as ice under pressure to guide this team, the Astros decided that Dusty Baker should be the man in charge in 2021.

Per Mark Berman of FOX26, the Astros have agreed to bring Baker back for the 2021 campaign despite a lack of results in 2020.

Baker was considered an odd fit when the Houston Astros hired him.

Before the Astros became known for using trash cans to steal signs, AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow gave Houston a reputation as one of the more analytically-minded organizations in the league. Going from that to a guy in Baker that is a staunch old-school baseball traditionalist, oftentimes to his detriment, certainly signaled a shift in how the organization goes about things.

Between a stacked lineup and rotation that should be able to handle losing Gerrit Cole given the presence of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers, the Astros should be able to once again take home the AL West crown in a challenging 2020 season.

Baker’s tenure as a manager seemed to be over after a stint with the Washington Nationals, but you don’t win 1,866 MLB games as a manager over 23 seasons by accident. As long as Baker continues to manage the personalities in that locker room well and doesn’t ruin his starter’s arms, a common problem he created for himself when he was managing the Chicago Cubs, the Astros should once again get a crack at the World Series.

Winning one would finally give one of baseball’s most respected ambassadors a title as a manager.