2016 Washington Nationals season
| 2016 Washington Nationals | |
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| National League East Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
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| Location | |
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| Results | |
| Record | 95–67 (.586) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Lerner Enterprises |
| General manager(s) | Mike Rizzo |
| Manager(s) | Dusty Baker |
| Local television |
MASN WUSA (CBS affiliate) (Bob Carpenter, FP Santangelo, Johnny Holliday, Ray Knight) |
| Local radio |
WJFK 106.7 FM Washington Nationals Radio Network (Charlie Slowes, Dave Jageler) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 2016 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 12th season as the baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, the ninth season at Nationals Park, and the 48th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They won the National League East division title for the third time in five years, posting a 95–67 record, and were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in the Division Series.
Less than 24 hours after the end of the 2015 season, manager Matt Williams and his entire coaching staff were dismissed. Some coaches were offered other positions in the organization, with bench coach Randy Knorr notably accepting a position as senior assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo for player development.
The Nationals embarked on a wide-ranging search to replace Williams, who was still owed salary for 2016 after being fired midway through a multi-year contract. Among the candidates they interviewed were former Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, former San Diego Padres manager Bud Black, former Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach, Arizona Diamondbacks third base coach Andy Green, San Francisco Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, former Nationals player Alex Cora, and Triple-A Reno Aces manager Phil Nevin. From the group, Baker and Black emerged as finalists and received second interviews. On October 28, The Washington Post reported Black would likely be hired as manager. But according to reports that surfaced late on November 2 from, among others, the Post, CBS Sports, and USA Today, while Black was offered the job and accepted, a disagreement over contract terms led to negotiations between the Nationals and Black breaking down. The Nationals' initial offer to Black was reportedly one year guaranteed at $1.6 million, an offer Black considered a "lowball". Unable to come to terms with Black, the Nationals' front office turned to its other leading choice, the more experienced Baker. Early on November 3, the Nationals announced Baker had been hired to a two-year contract as manager.
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