Dusty Baker unlikely to manage Nationals in 2014

The Washington Nationals are looking for a new manager, but former Reds skipper Dusty Baker is not their man, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats have a vacancy after the retirement of 2012 NL Manager of the Year Davey Johnson and have been interviewing several candidates recently. Baker reportedly approached the team about the opening, but the interest was not mutual.

The 64-year-old Baker has spent 20 seasons managing in the majors between the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. He led each team to at least one division title, took the 2002 Giants to the World Series, and accrued a .540 winning percentage in 1,556 games. Despite his solid resume, though, Baker is much-maligned in some circles for his questionable handling of pitching staffs, his tendency to overwork young pitchers, his sub-optimal lineup constructions, and his disinterest in modern statistics like OBP. He was also criticized for an incident in August in which he stood by and chuckled while second baseman Brandon Phillips interrupted his press conference to curse at a reporter, giving some the impression that Baker didn't have control of his players.

There are only four current managerial vacancies in the Majors. One is the Reds job from which Baker was fired earlier this month, and one is the Nationals' job. The Chicago Cubs also have an opening, but Baker has already come and gone from that job and Fox's Jon Morosi reports that the Cubs would prefer a bilingual manager who can communicate with their young Latin American stars. The Seattle Mariners are also looking for a new skipper.

Follow @SBNationMLB