Source: Nats meet with Baker; Black up next
Both candidates have won Manager of the Year honors
WASHINGTON -- The Nationals interviewed Dusty Baker for their managerial opening on Wednesday and also will meet with Bud Black, according to two baseball sources.
Besides talking to general manager Mike Rizzo, Baker met with the Lerner family, the club's majority owner. The meeting lasted almost five hours. A source indicated it was "a family affair."
Baker is looking to win the World Series ring that has eluded him over his 20-year managerial career. The closest he has come to winning it all was in 2002, when he was the manager of the Giants, who lost in seven games to the Angels. Baker, who played 19 seasons in the big leagues, did win a ring as an outfielder with the 1981 Dodgers.
If he were to manage the Nationals, Baker would not have to deal with a rebuilding phase. Rizzo let it be known last week that the Nationals are looking to win a title in 2016.
Baker won a Manager of the Year Award three times and has guided every team he has managed -- Giants, Cubs, Reds -- into the postseason. The last time he managed was in 2013, when the Reds lost to the Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game.
Baker is also known as one of the better players in the Major Leagues during the 1970s and early '80s. His best years occurred with the Dodgers from 1976-83.
According to another source, the Nationals will see Black on Thursday. Black managed the Padres for eight-plus years and is one of three former pitchers -- Tommy Lasorda and Larry Dierker are the others -- to win Manager of the Year honors. He is known to handle a pitching staff well, but often did not have a solid offense to work with when at the helm in San Diego. Black was the pitching coach for the Angels when they won the World Series in 2002.
Black played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues and is best known for his years with the Royals. He won 121 games with a 3.84 ERA.
The Nationals are looking to hire their sixth full-time manager after relieving Matt Williams of his duties last week.
Video: Williams and his entire coaching staff let go by team
Worth noting
Charlie Manuel, who won a World Series with the 2008 Phillies, was listed as a possible candidate to interview for the managerial opening, but the team has not contacted him.