Dave Martinez, bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, will be the new manager for the Washington Nationals, per reports, which indicate that the Nats and Martinez have agreed to a three year deal. Martinez is replacing Dusty Baker, who won 90+ games and the N.L. East in each of his two seasons at the helm for Washington, but whose teams were knocked out in five games in the LDS both years.
Martinez has been Joe Maddon’s bench coach for the past ten years, with the first seven being in Tampa and the last three with the Cubs. Martinez has been a hot managerial candidate the last few years, and is well-regarded around the game.
This is also the third former Texas Ranger (along with Alex Cora and Mickey Callway) to get a managerial job this offseason. Martinez was acquired by the Rangers in the summer of 2000 as part of a three-way deal that sent Martinez to the Rangers from the Cubs, Brant Brown to the Cubs from the Marlins, and pitcher Chuck Smith from the Rangers to the Marlins. If you were online back then, you may remember the uproar among Rangers fans over Smith, a 30 year old career minor leaguer, going to Florida and pitching well for the remainder of the 2000 season.