Beasley leaving Nats, joining Rangers as third-base coach

WASHINGTON -- Tony Beasley, the Washington Nationals' Minor League coordinator, is leaving the organization to become the third-base coach of the Texas Rangers.

Beasley has a working relationship with Rangers manager Jeff Banister that dates back to the early 1990s, when both were with the Pirates.

"Jeff Banister expressed to me that he wanted me to work with him, so that was important," Beasley said. "It's a Major League job. Our goal is to work at the Major League level."

Beasley said that he is going to miss his "brothers" in the Nationals organization. Before serving as the Minor League coordinator, he spent two years as the manager of Triple-A Syracuse. Beasley was the Nats' third-base coach in 2006.

"I love the Washington Nationals organization, and I love the people that I worked for and worked with," Beasley said. "It has been a pleasure and a joy."