HOUSTON – Dusty Baker will meet with the Astros’ front office this afternoon with hopes of being back next season.
At Houston native Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack charity softball game, Baker briefly spoke to reporters about the postseason.
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“It felt good, it felt really good,” said Baker, alluding to the Astros’ trip to the World Series. “But next year at this time, I want to feel great.”
However, whether or not Baker will be back with the Astros next year at this time remains to be seen. This will be a decision that GM James Click and Jim Crane will have to make, as Baker’s contract is expired and he currently has no deal in place.
“I’m going to go upstairs today to talk about things, and hopefully we can come to an agreement and I’ll be back next year,” Baker said.
Dusty Baker says he’s “going upstairs today to talk about things”
— Vanessa Richardson (@KPRC2Vanessa) November 4, 2021
He hopes he & Crane come to an agreement and he’ll be back next year pic.twitter.com/gtKMjF8O1o
Bob Nightengale of USA Today did report Wednesday that things do look positive for Baker to return as Astros manager.
Houston #Astros news:
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 3, 2021
1) Esteemed pitching coach Brent Strom will retire.
2) Zack Greinke will leave the Astros but wants to continue pitching for an NL team.
3) Dusty Baker will be back, and sign a contract for 2022 in the next 48 hours.
In his second season managing the ball club, Baker helped steer the Astros to a 95-67 record, best in the AL West Division and complete with a trip to the World Series. This followed his first year where he guided the Astros to a wild-card spot, where Houston made a postseason run to the American League Championship Series.
This is not the first time Baker has expressed his desire to return next season. It appears he’ll know soon whether or not that’s the case.
Stay tuned to KPRC 2 for updates as this story continues to develop.