10:55am: Baker was fired after he stood up for hitting coach Brook Jacoby, writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Jocketty informed Baker that he was planning on firing Jacoby, to which Baker replied, "If want to fire someone, fire me," as he felt it was unfair for blame to fall on Jacoby.
Baker said he felt he was doing what was right by defending Jacoby and would like to continue his managerial career elsewhere, adds Heyman. The past several days have been difficult, Baker conceded, as he's also been receiving hate mail from angry fans.
9:45am: The Reds have confirmed the move via press release. Within the release, GM Walt Jocketty offers the following statement:
"This was a very difficult decision to make. Dusty played an important role in the recent success of this organization, and we thank him for his contributions during his time here. We feel a change is necessary, however, if we are to continue to move the organization forward."
9:02am: Baker was fired, writes ESPN's Buster Olney in his daily Insider-only column. Olney explains that club executives felt the team was steeped with Major League talent and expected a deep postseason run with a chance at a championship, not a quick exit in a one-game Wild Card playoff. According to Olney, there's a sense from the top of the organization that a clubhouse shake-up was needed.
Earlier this morning, Olney tweeted that the front office "was seething" after the team's loss to the Pirates, prompting the change.
7:33am: Dusty Baker is out as Reds manager, according to Ben Walker of the Associated Press. The Reds will announce today that Baker has been replaced, though it is currently unclear whether he was fired or he resigned. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that Baker had one year and roughly $3.5MM remaining on his contract.
Baker, 64, has been managing the Reds for the past six seasons, three of which have resulted in playoff berths. His record since taking over as Cincinnati's manager is 509-463. That .524 winning percentage is on par with his career percentage of .526. Baker is a three-time NL Manager of the Year and led the 2002 Giants to the National League pennant.
Earlier in the week, the Reds were bounced from the Wild Card playoff game by the Pirates, but general manager Walt Jocketty was quick to tell reporters, including John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that he hadn't considered firing Baker: “I don’t think so,” Jocketty said. “He’s signed for another year.” That seems to suggest a resignation, though Reds ownership could have had a different view on Baker than Jocketty and brought about the change.
Steve Adams contributed to this post.
