The Nationals are planning to tell manager Frank Robinson on Thursday that he will be not return to the club in 2007, a baseball source said after Wednesday’s game against the Phillies.
Another source said the front office, which includes general manager Jim Bowden and team president Stan Kasten, has yet to set up a meeting with Robinson. Bowden did not reply to an e-mail and Kasten declined to discuss Robinson’s situation when approached by MLB.com.
Robinson’s contract expires at the end of the year, and the veteran skipper has been waiting for weeks to learn about his future. Robinson was hoping to manage the Nationals for another three years, but a second-half collapse in 2005 — after being in first place before the All-Star break — and a subpar season in 2006 has put him on thin ice with the organization.