Dusty Baker will not return as Nationals manager

WASHINGTON - And then it was over, in a paragraph typed on Washington Nationals letterhead and disseminated to reporters: Dusty Baker will not return as manager in 2018, the announcement said. Then the team thanked him for his service.

That service included regular seasons of 95 and 97 wins, the first back-to-back division titles in team history, and two losses in the National League division series. Since no Nationals manager has won the National League division series, he is among their most successful. The 68-year-old signed on with the Nationals on a two-year deal worth $4 million that he felt was below market value, and seemed likely to garner a raise on his next deal with the team. He will not get that deal.

Instead, the Nationals will begin their second managerial search in three offseasons, their target unclear. They will also need a new coaching staff, as all of the coaches on Baker's staff saw their contracts expire after this season, too.

All season, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said publicly that he expected a deal to get done with the manager. Baker fit the clubhouse well. He fit the city well. He won. But after a strange botched starting pitching announcement in the NLDS and the subsequent loss in Game 5, the tenor around him seemed to change. Apparently, it changed a great deal.