Dusty Interested in Extension? Reds Declined?

[OnBaseMachine]

From John Fay's blog:

Dusty Baker said a report from foxsports.com that he asked for a contract extension is not true.

“Nothing to it,” he said. “Where do rumors like that come from?”

There was no time frame mentioned in the report. Baker, of course, is in the last year of a three-year contract.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/201...0P8xx81EWn0%3D

[cincrazy]

I don’t believe the rumor. Mr. Baker was said to not be worried about such things as a contract extension earlier in the spring. Mr. Jocketty had his position on continuity before even that.

Besides “it’s still early”.

How could the guy win with what Mr. Jocketty has given him in the way of pitching and offense that everyone is complaining about?

Give him a team with hitting and pitching like he had many years ago in San Fran and he will win, I don’t know how much players like that would cost though in 2010 forward.

I think Mr. Castellini should stand behind his own words and actions, and should stand up for his man, Mr. Baker and resign him to a long term contract with a hefty raise.

The Reds' struggles under Baker have little to do with Baker.... however, suggesting the man get a hefty raise is a bit much .

[jmcclain19]

So i've been reading this site for going on six seasons now. Every year
this topic seems to come up, and the same members trot out the same ideas -
Davey Johnson, Larry Dierker, the AAA manager, the bench coach, etc etc.
And I really don't see much of a difference.

I think Ron Gardinhire & Mike Sciossia are the two best managers in
baseball right now, yet you can visit any Twins & Angels board and see
those guys vilified on a nightly basis.

Honestly after realizing that in a post-Dusty Reds world, I don't have a
horse in the race to replace him. I think over the years I've grown to care
less and less of who is at the helm of the Reds, and ask that he only not
destroy the hand of cards dealt to him by the GM.

I'd love to hear some compelling arguments for replacement ideas, because
any of the ones suggested year after year on this site I've got pretty
strong doubts/thoughts going the other direction

[Spring~Fields]

The Reds' struggles under Baker have little to do with Baker.... however, suggesting the man get a hefty raise is a bit much .

It's not up to me. I have zero clout or input with the Reds, they make their own decisions.

Though if they extend him, he proably would get a raise.

So what do the Reds struggles have to do with in your opinion?

[REDREAD]

Is that the mark of a good general manager? Getting a team what it needs? Good results?

Is that what they are suppose to do so that their manager doesn't look so bad, like the Reds do these past few seasons?

Yes, I think the mark of a good GM is recognizing what the team needs and making it happen.

And yes, by that yardstick, Walt has fallen a bit short. However, I think the big test for him is what is going to happen after this season. Is he going to make the right call on Harang and Arroyo? I am not even sure if they should be retained or not. I am going to let Walt worry about that.

I will say that a GM that only has about 5-7 million to spend in the offseason and has a lot of holes can't be expected to turn the team around overnight.

[REDREAD]

I'm not trying to say that team was terrible, just that there were likely as many questions about that bunch as there is with this current Reds team.

Sure, there were question marks going into 1999. vaughn actually did get hurt for an extended period of time, but Hammonds and Tucker picked upt he slack. Dimitri (if I recall) was horrible in the beginning of the season, but the Reds had depth to cover it.

IMO, even without knowing the outcome however, the 1999 Reds were a lot more talented than the recent squads. Sure, there were some career years, but Bowden put himself in a position to make it happen. I really doubt DanO would've been bold enough to acquire Neagle and Cameron.. BTW, I think Cameron was one of the greatest "buy low" stories in my lifetime. The guy was immensely talented, just coming off a bad year, and the Reds were able to get him for a 1b/DH type (who was a great stick, no doubt). The current Reds would really benefit by finding another Cameron, even if they had to trade Alonso to get him. EDIT: although hopefully Bruce or Stubbs can fill that role.

[_Sir_Charles_]

I personally think we should keep Baker. I know many are fed up with his lineups (me too) and then there are those notorious Baker'isms like vet preference & over using young arms. I personally don't buy into those at all. My thinking here is rather simple. I'd prefer stability over a revolving door at the managers desk. I also don't know if Dusty's replacement will be better or worse. Despite what many here think, Dusty is VERY knowledgeable about the game and there are MANY managers who are much worse.

He's treated the young arms with kid gloves for the most part, he's played the kids when they warrant it, he's very personable and he handles the media well. I'm not sure we could say the same about ANY replacement.

[Blitz Dorsey]

I can't give you rep points, but I can give you my signature

Thank you. Now that they've won 3 straight Dusty is probably looking for a lifetime contract.

[bucksfan2]

IMO, even without knowing the outcome however, the 1999 Reds were a lot more talented than the recent squads. Sure, there were some career years, but Bowden put himself in a position to make it happen. I really doubt DanO would've been bold enough to acquire Neagle and Cameron.. BTW, I think Cameron was one of the greatest "buy low" stories in my lifetime. The guy was immensely talented, just coming off a bad year, and the Reds were able to get him for a 1b/DH type (who was a great stick, no doubt). The current Reds would really benefit by finding another Cameron, even if they had to trade Alonso to get him. EDIT: although hopefully Bruce or Stubbs can fill that role.

Paul Konerko was no slouch. And IIRC he was being tried out at 3b as well. As it ends up the Reds traded the wrong 1b prospect. It would have been interesting to see what Cameron would have done with the Reds if they never had made the Jr. trade.

[Slyder]

Paul Konerko was no slouch. And IIRC he was being tried out at 3b as well. As it ends up the Reds traded the wrong 1b prospect. It would have been interesting to see what Cameron would have done with the Reds if they never had made the Jr. trade.

What about Ron Gant and Benito Santiago? Or Jose Guillen whom we turned into Aaron Harang?

[Spring~Fields]

I will say that a GM that only has about 5-7 million to spend in the offseason and has a lot of holes can't be expected to turn the team around overnight.

I don't expect the general manager or manager to turn things around.

I was thinking more about the ownership group turning it around.

I haven’t seen that a general manager or manager can do that much to turn things around without the full support of a very good ownership group. Of course there is probably some exceptions in the over one hundred years of baseball, there usually are.

I do expect Mr. Baker to be extended though.

"I believe in continuity," said Jocketty, the team's fourth GM in six years. "Sometimes it takes a little time to get things the way you want them, but I think there's a lot of quality people here

"It's very important," said Baker, who was hired last October. "Good organizations keep a lot of the same people for a good length of time."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...60754122_x.htm

"We're here to win," owner Bob Castellini said at the Reds' spring training camp Thursday. "You've got to throw out past formulas when you have a seven-year losing streak. Dusty is a winner. The players will play for him. And a mix of young and old is good for any enterprise. You can never do enough, but we feel we've made great strides."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseb...-preview_N.htm

[Always Red]

Not necessarily a fan of Dusty; he's done ok with the hand that he's been dealt.

The Reds need stability. Same owner, same GM, same manager, same philosophy all through the organization.

I'm not sure if any of the guys in these spots are the right guys or not- but the owner is not going to change, and both Jocketty and Baker have track records of being winners. Not here, of course, but they have been winners in the past.

I think that if Castellini and Jock let Baker go, they will bring in someone very much like him. If that's the case, I'd rather have continuity than not.

OR...whatever manager would bring in Dave Duncan as pitching coach....

[savafan]

These players have really responded to Dusty this year. Just by reading Votto's comments about Baker in the "Congrats Joey Votto" thread, you can tell that the team likes playing for Baker. Barring a complete and total collapse the rest of the season, I expect to see Dusty get an extension.

[reds44]

These players have really responded to Dusty this year. Just by reading Votto's comments about Baker in the "Congrats Joey Votto" thread, you can tell that the team likes playing for Baker. Barring a complete and total collapse the rest of the season, I expect to see Dusty get an extension.

And he definatley would deserve one.

[reds1869]

And he definatley would deserve one.

Amen to that. Dusty has done a wonderful job with this group of players. They are his type of team and I--GASP!--would love to see him back next season.