WASHINGTON — Dave Martinez will get a chance to try to do what no Washington Nationals manager has accomplished: win a postseason series with the club.

Martinez agreed to a three-year contract plus an option with the Nationals, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday, for a job that will make him a skipper in the majors for the first time.

The person described the contract to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.

The 53-year-old Martinez has been the bench coach for Manager Joe Maddon for the past decade.

The two were together with the Chicaco Cubs for the past three seasons, including that team’s 2016 World Series championship. Before that, Martinez worked for Maddon with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Martinez replaces Dusty Baker as Washington’s manager.

Baker was let go a little more than a week ago. He had been given only a two-year contract and was dismissed after leading the Nationals to two NL East titles – with 95 wins in 2016 and 97 wins in 2017.

Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and the rest of the Nationals were eliminated with a one-run loss in Game 5 of an NL Division Series each time – including by the Cubs this year.

The Nationals have won four division titles since 2012 but have yet to win a playoff series, knocked out in an NLDS each time. Martinez is Washington’s sixth manager in a 10-season span.

Martinez played for nine major league franchises over 16 years, including four seasons with the Montreal Expos, the team that moved to Washington in 2005 and became the Nationals.

Martinez was mostly an outfielder. He retired as a player in 2001.

The Nationals’ agreement with Martinez was first reported by The Washington Post.

ATHLETICS: Oakland catcher Bruce Maxwell was arrested in Arizona after a food delivery person alleged he pointed a gun at her.

Maxwell was the only player in Major League Baseball to take a knee this year during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Scottsdale police said officers went to Maxwell’s home Saturday night after getting a call about a person with a gun. Maxwell was booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.

AWARDS: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen and Boston’s Craig Kimbrel have been recognized as MLB’s top relievers.

Both are two-time winners, with Jansen repeating as the Trevor Hoffman Winner as the National League’s top reliever. Kimbrel, the winner of the inaugural NL award while pitching for Atlanta in 2014, took the American League honor named after Mariano Rivera.

The presentations were made Saturday night before Game 4 of the World Series, where Jansen was playing with his Dodgers.

Kimbrel was absent, having remained at home while awaiting the birth of his first child.

Jansen said it was awesome to be sitting between Rivera and Hoffman, the only two closers to record more than 600 career saves.

ORIOLES: Closer Zach Britton, whose season ended in late September after he received a stem-cell injection for his ailing left knee, has been cleared for a normal offseason.

Britton, 29, received a clean bill of health from orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister, who allowed the left-hander to prepare for next season as he normally would, without any restrictions.

Britton plans to begin offseason workouts earlier than normal as he looks toward 2018, especially since he received extra rest because he was shut down in the season’s final two weeks. He said he hopes to start doing some things next week.

Copy the Story Link