Count Out Dusty Baker As Next New York Mets Manager? Big Mistake
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Dusty Baker #12 of the Washington Nationals looks on against the Chicago Cubs during the fifth inning in game five of the National League Division Series at Nationals Park on October 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Dusty Baker makes so much sense for the New York Mets, who remain reluctant to even hear him out. 

On Friday, the Washington Nationals announced that Dusty Baker would not be returning for the 2018 season after a successful 2017 campaign.

The announcement came on the heels of a first-round exit for the Nationals from the NLDS at the hands of the reigning World Champion Chicago Cubs.

The firing comes as a huge surprise and has the potential to be a short-sighted and costly maneuver for an organization that has employed seven managers in the past 13 years.

Although Baker has been blamed for the team’s lack of postseason success, he performed admirably as manager for an organization that secured back-to-back division winners.

Baker is highly respected throughout the game and has put together a Hall of Fame-caliber resume.

There is a laundry list of reasons the New York Mets should at least offer Baker an interview and it starts with his career success and ends with the Nationals’ 97-win 2017 season. The Nationals finished the season with a 20-game margin on the second place Miami Marlins.

What makes that feat even more impressive was the fact that star right fielder Bryce Harper missed extended time after injuring himself on the first base bag. Joining him on the DL was newly acquired center fielder Adam Eaton and the promising young shortstop Trea Turner.

Those three players are among the top five players on the team, making their extended absences even more difficult to manage.

The hiring of a high-profile manager, who is on the back nine of his career, would be the quintessential win-now move. Considering the current state of the Mets, a win-now move makes complete sense.

Sandy Alderson is 69 years old with noted health problems who just agreed to a two-year contract extension with the organization.

There’s a very real possibility that Alderson will walk away in two years, which is why bringing in Dusty Baker for a two-year run at the World Series makes sense.

Integral players such as Jerry Blevins, Matt Harvey, A.J. Ramos and Wilmer Flores will all hit the free agent market within this upcoming two-year window.

Realistically, the Mets have created a two year window for a World Series run. At the conclusion of that time frame, the team will most likely lose their general manager and multiple starters.

Therefore, the team is incentivized to go all in for the next two seasons and Dusty is the man for that type of commitment to short-term success.

In the last six seasons as an active manager, Dusty has made it to the postseason five times. That amount of success on his resume is currently being overlooked by the Mets organization.

First-time managers such as Kevin Long and Alex Cora are too much of a gamble for a team with so little time. Why not just go for the guy with eons of experience and a proven track record?

The fact that they are not at the minimum entertaining an interview for Baker is a mistake, he should be the next manager of the New York Mets.

I am a Senior currently attending the Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick. I am a lifelong New York Mets fan, and writing about the team is my passion.