Davey Johnson Will Coach Nationals

According to reports, the Washington Nationals will name Davey Johnson as their new manager.  The 68 year old will take over the club for the remainder of this season as well as 2012.

Johnson is currently acting as a senior advisor for the club, and is said to have close ties with the team’s general manager Mike Rizzo.  The former Manager of the Year was previously said to have no interest in returning to coaching, but apparently is intrigued by an up and coming Nationals team.

The club made it clear when current interim manager John McLaren took over after Jim Riggleman’s shocking resignation, that McLaren would only be holding the spot for a short period of time.  Rizzo also noted that who Washington was able to bring in would determine the team’s continued coaching search going forward.

“Right now we’re focusing on the remainder of 2011, but we’re going to keep all of our options open depending on the person we get,” Rizzo said. “We’ll keep our options open, and we’ll see where we’re at at the end of 2011. Depending on who the actual guy is, yes I could see a scenario where the 2011 guy could be the manager beyond.”

Johnson’s last coaching stint in the majors ended in 2000 as manager of the Dodgers.  Before that he was with the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.  His longest tenure was with the Amazin’s; Johnson managed the club 7 seasons and led them to a 1986 World Series championship.