MLB Insider: 3 potential Dusty Baker replacements Houston Astros manager

Dusty Baker replacements: Ron Washington, Atlanta Braves third base coach

There are few coaches more respected in baseball than Ron Washington, who previously was the Texas Rangers’ manager before joining the Atlanta Braves as third base coach in 2017.

Washington is a players’ coach. He works tirelessly to help them improve, with his pregame work on the field with players famous around baseball. It’s helped Austin Riley become a Gold Glove defender at third base. It’s helped countless players with the organization, and he’s viewed as a key piece to what that organization has built.

But Washington is ready to manage again. In 2021, he told FanSided when asked about the possibility of becoming the Padres’ manager: “I think I’m qualified. I think I can get that team over the hump. That’s my thinking. … I’m definitely able to get them where they want to go.”

Surely his thinking would be similar with the Astros and considering his previous time working with now-Astros general manager Dana Brown in Atlanta, Washington could be a name to watch here.