Dusty Baker's son Darren has had some good moments playing for the Washington Nationals. It appears those good moments are now over. The Nationals are agreeing to allow Baker to become a free agent, per USA Today. Darren asked the team to allow him to leave the franchise and get another playing opportunity.
Darren Baker appeared in nine games for the Nationals during the 2024 season. In 14 at-bats, he posted a .500 batting average. He also connected on seven hits. Two of them were doubles.
The Nationals just went through a very difficult season. Washington missed the Major League Baseball Playoffs, after posting just a 66-96 mark. Baker didn't record a single plate appearance during the 2025 campaign for Washington.
In the team's farm system, the second baseman hit at a .256 average in 2025. He had one home run. Baker also drove in 25 runs for Triple-A Rochester.
Nationals are looking for success heading into 2026
Washington went through some difficult months in the 2025 season. The club finished the year 30 games behind in the National League East. Washington finished dead last in the division.
There is a nucleus of young talent in the nation's capital, though. Washington outfielder Daylen Lile had a strong close to the 2025 season. He was named the National League Rookie of the Month in September by Major League Baseball. Lile slashed at an astonishing rate during the final month of the campaign.
“The speedster’s seven triples were the most in a single month in Nationals/Expos franchise history, and the most in the Majors since José Reyes also had seven for the Mets in June 2011,” MLB.com reported.
The Nationals outfielder also accomplished feats the franchise had not seen in close to five years.
“Lile reached base safely in a career-best 16 consecutive games from August 31st through the first game of a doubleheader on September 16th, hitting .433/.493/.817/1.309 during the stretch. Along with his 15-game on-base streak from June 21st-July 10th, he became the first Nationals player under the age of 23 with multiple on-base streaks of at least 15 games since Juan Soto in 2021,” MLB.com reported.
Nationals fans hope the club can have a lot more success in 2026, with players like Lile leading the way.
