MLB Rumors: Sure sounds like Dusty Baker won't return to the Astros

The Houston Astros' could look very different next season.

On the heels of Houston's Game 7 loss to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS, rumors are flying regarding Dusty Baker's future with the team. According to Brittany Ghiroli and Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the 74-year-old has told multiple people "inside and outside" (subscription required) the organization that 2023 is — or now, was — his final season.

It would appear that Houston will be the next team to join the autumn managerial hunt, alongside the likes of Cleveland, New York, and San Francisco (and potentially soon San Diego).

Dusty Baker expected to retire after Astros' Game 7 loss

Baker has coached 26 major league seasons with 2,183 regular season wins. He won the 2022 World Series with Houston, his first championship. He spent four years with the Astros. Prior to that, he managed stints in Washington, Cincinnati, Chicago, and most prominently, with San Francisco from 1993-2002. He is a three-time Manager of the Year.

It has been, without a debate, a historic career for Baker. Before his time as a manager, he played 19 MLB seasons as a player, appearing in two All-Star games and winning a Gold Glove award, two Silver Sluggers, and the 1981 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Houston has been the most competitive team in the American League over the last few years, spearheaded by an explosive offense. Baker typically pulled the right strings, setting up his elite complement of sluggers for success deep into the postseason.

The Astros' Game 7 loss is, in many ways, the end of an era. Baker could always shock the world and return for another season — he refused to provide a comment to The Athletic for their report, so the door is theoretically open — but Baker has earned a sunny farewell. In his postgame press conference after elimination, Baker's comments focused on how long he's been away from his family, perhaps indicating his lean toward retirement.

If this is indeed it, he will be remembered as one of the most accomplished, and most beloved, coaches the league has ever seen. His career spanned multiple generations and he has inspired a great many folks at different levels of the game.

In 2022, Baker became the oldest coach in major American sports history to win a championship. Older than any NBA, NFL, or NHL coach to reach the mountaintop. It was the fitting culmination of an all-time career.

Dusty Baker, take a bow. You've earned it.