Dusty Baker will not return as manager of the Nationals for the 2018 season, the club announced on Friday."This was an incredibly difficult decision for us," the Lerner family said in a letter released shortly after the announcement. "[Baker] is one of the true gentlemen in our sport, and we thank him for the successes that we enjoyed together over the last two years. We wish him nothing but the best going forward." 
• A letter from the Lerner familyDuring Baker's tenure, the Nationals won the National League East in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. Washington's 192-132 record under Baker was also the best two-year stretch in franchise history by winning percentage.Despite that regular-season success, the Nationals were ousted in the National League Division Series in back-to-back seasons, falling to the Dodgers in 2016 and the Cubs this year, both in decisive Game 5s.The Nationals also announced the contracts for the big league coaching staff have expired. The team will immediately begin searching for a new manager, who will become the club's seventh skipper since it moved to Washington in 2005.Jack Baer / MLB.com
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