Dusty Baker hints at possible return to SF Giants organization

Dusty Baker, who retired from managing in October, probably isn’t the type to quit baseball cold turkey. He could even return to the Giants, the franchise he managed from 1993 to 2002.

Baker, 74, said on Friday that he’s had discussions with Giants CEO Larry Baer about joining the organization.

“I’m looking forward to this next chapter,” Baker said on 95.7 The Game. “I’m also actually talking to the Giants. I talked to Larry Baer the other day about the possibility of maybe even joining them, and so we just have to see how things work out for all of us.”

The Giants have long history of bringing back former franchise pillars into their front office in advisory roles. Ron Wotus, the longest-tenured coach in club history, is a special advisor to baseball operations. Barry Bonds is a special advisor who has an open invitation to join the team in Oracle Park and hang out in the batting cage. Willie Mays and Will Clark are special assistants, and former general manger Brian Sabean had an executive role before leaving for a more hands-on position with the Yankees last winter.

Baker announced his retirement after the Astros lost to Bruce Bochy’s Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series. In 2022, he led Houston to the World Series, earning himself his first and only ring in his 26-year managerial career.

While with the Giants, Baker managed Bonds and the 2002 team that won the National League pennant. He helped usher the franchise into a new era, from Candlestick Park to their waterfront ballpark.

Baker is still revered in San Francisco, and many Giants fans cheered him on during Houston’s title run. With Baker based in Sacramento, working for the Giants would make a lot of sense.

“They’re just preliminary talks,” Baker said. “Like I said, I talked to Larry. I’m waiting to talk to Farhan [Zaidi]. They do have a team here in Sacramento where I am here, the River Cats team.  … We’ll see if we can work things out family-wise and time-wise and all kinds of ways. Like I said, we’re just having preliminary talks. We’ll see how things work out.”