Reds hire Baker as manager
Ex-Giant, Cub skipper gets three-year deal
Dusty Baker and the Reds agreed to a three-year contract late Saturday night.
The formal announcement is expected to come Monday.
ESPN said Baker would continue his analyst duties with the network through the end of the World Series.
Baker and interim manager Pete Mackanin were the only two known candidates.
Baker is a three-time National League manager of the year (1993, '97, 2000). He is currently working as an analyst for ESPN.
Baker, 58, took the Giants to the World Series in 2002. The Giants finished first twice and second five times in his 10 years there.
His teams won at least 90 games six times in his eight full seasons as Giants manager.
He took over the Cubs after leaving San Francisco. He finished first, third, fourth and sixth in his four years in Chicago.
The Cubs came within five outs of making the World Series in 2003 - Baker's first year.
He was fired after the Cubs went 66-96 in 2006.
His overall record as a manager is 1,162-1,041.
Baker's given name is Johnnie B. Baker Jr.
Born in Riverside, Calif., he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 26th round of the 1967 draft.
He made his first appearance in the majors the following year. He was in the majors full time beginning in 1972, when he hit .321 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI.
Baker went on to play 19 seasons. He had stints with the Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's.
He hit .278 with 242 home runs and 1,013 RBIs in his career.
He retired after the 1986 season.
Following his retirement, he spent five years as a coach on San Francisco manager Roger Craig's staff.
Former Red Rich Aurilia played the majority of his career for Baker in San Francisco.
"Anybody who gets him is lucky," Aurilia said.
Baker has the label of a player's manager. But it goes beyond that.
"Having Dusty is like having another player," Aurilia said. "He'd go out and play if he could. He's great to play for. He's a player's guy."
"As long as you play hard and show up on time, you're all right with Dusty. His thing is: Play hard, play the right way."
Aurilia said Baker's attention to players goes beyond the field.
"He has that personal touch," Aurilia said. "He gets to know the players off the field."
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