Dusty Baker’s retirement from Major League Baseball didn’t last long.
Baker, 74, is returning to the organization he managed from 1993 to 2002, after the Giants hired him as a special assistant to both baseball operations and ownership, the Bay Area News Group confirmed.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale first reported the news.
Baker officially retired from managing this October after an illustrious 26-year career. He’d played 19 seasons in MLB, from 1968 to 1986, for the Braves, Dodgers, Giants and A’s.
San Francisco was his first stop as a manager. That’s where he helped steer the Giants after the franchise nearly left the Bay, shepherding the team’s move from Candlestick Park to its current waterfront stadium. With superstar Barry Bonds, Baker helped lead the 2002 National League pennant team that lost to the Angels in the World Series.
Baker, a three-time Manager of the Year, finally got his World Series ring in 2022 when he led the Astros back to the sport’s pinnacle in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal that came to a head in 2019.
A front office role won’t be new to Baker. In 2018, after a two-year stint managing the Washington Nationals, Baker served as a special advisor to Giants CEO Larry Baer for two years before heading to Houston.
Baker revealed during an interview on local radio that Giants ownership had been in discussions with him about a potential return to the organization since December. Since Baker is a Sacramento native with strong ties to the franchise, and the Giants have a long history of bringing icons back in front office roles, it’s a natural fit.
