'I meant what I said': Dusty Baker signs 1-year contract with Astros to win 2nd World Series

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- He got it done this year, and now the Astros want him back next season to lead the team to back-to-back World Series Championships. The club signed manager Dusty Baker to a one-year contract for the 2023 season, owner Jim Crane announced on Wednesday.

The video above is from the Astros' news conference announcing Dusty Baker's return to manage in the 2022 season.

Baker had signaled a comeback, saying that "if I win one, I want to win two."

"I wasn't just talking. I meant what I said. I'd love to keep my word," he said about his previous comment.

Baker, 73, the club's manager on the field, and James Click, the general manager in charge of team acquisitions and development, were signed on to the team before the 2020 season in the wake of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

"We're certainly excited to have Dusty back. I don't need to talk about Dusty, he's a legend. He's really done a lot for the team," Crane said on Wednesday.

Crane said it was always their plan to talk about Baker's future with the team at the end of the season once everything was over.

"We sat down, probably took about 15 minutes, and we came to an agreement. I'm happy to say he'll be back for another year," Crane said.

"I'm happy to be back. I had an idea I'd be back, but I wanted to complete the task that I had. I really didn't want any distractions. I'm glad we got it done," Baker said.

Now as for Click, Crane said they had the same plan to come together and discuss their future together at the end of the season.

"We're in discussions and when he gets back, we'll complete those discussions," Crane said.

While the team at the time of their signing was in great shape due mostly in part to prior leadership, both Baker and Click inserted their separate brands of change in the clubhouse.

PREVIOUS STORY FROM 2021: Astros and Dusty Baker agree on 1-year deal to keep manager in Houston

Baker shepherded the Astros to deep postseason runs in each of the three seasons he's managed, with the most recent resulting in his first career managerial World Series title. Click, who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays, has made a handful of seemingly insignificant but shrewd moves to not only rebuild a top pitching staff, but also reload a roster that lost team cornerstones George Springer and Carlos Correa.

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