According to the Washington Post’s James Wagner, the Nationals are expected to hire Bud Black as their next manager.
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The Nationals have not confirmed the report and will not do so until the World Series is over, at the earliest.
Black’s name had previously been reported along with Dusty Baker as the two finalists to replace the fired Matt Williams. The 58-year-old served as manager for the San Diego Padres for the past nine seasons before being fired in the middle of 2015 after a 32-33 start. Then again, given the massive budgetary difference between San Diego and Washington, this move might finally unleash Black’s true potential as a manager. Mike Rizzo had said he would seek an experienced manager after firing Matt Williams, who had never managed in Major League Baseball when he was hired.
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Before his offer from the Nationals, Bud Black was sacked by the San Diego Padres on June 15 due to reasons the team decided not to divulge. The Padres went with Pat Murphy, the manager of the club’s Triple-A affiliate, to take over for the remainder of the 2015 season.
The two have attended Maryland football games together, and Nelligan was Black’s guest in the visitor’s dugout at Nationals Park when the Padres played the Washington Nationals in 2013.
Of course hiring Black is only the first step.
In many ways, Black is the opposite of Williams, who was his teammate with the Giants from 1991-94. Black has an excellent reputation where it concerns the handling of pitchers which probably gave him the edge over Baker in the Nats front office. The Nationals, after a string of managers who haven’t lasted long, were on the lookout for stability; Gardenhire’s 13 years in Minnesota, overseeing six division titles, certainly ticks that box.
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With a resume like that, Black appears to be just the right guy for the job.
