No surprise to anyone at this point, but after a conference call with Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo this afternoon it still looks like Davey Johnson will be the field manager for 2012. The organization signed him to a three-year “consulting” contract over the summer with the option to manage next season.

Rizzo has been “in communication” with Johnson over the past few weeks and he, in turn, has spoken with the coaches who remain under contract with the organization. All interviews are finished, per Major League Baseball compliance rules. And there aren’t any team sources indicating this isn’t a done deal once the World Series ends and teams are officially allowed to resume announcing personnel moves. You can read all the details on the managerial search in our print story.