As ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, the Nationals had a seasonal reorganization of their organization, and Jeff Passan reported that both baseball business president Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired. The Nath has confirmed the news and announced that assistant GM Mike Debartolo will become interim general manager for the rest of the season. The interim manager who replaces Martinez will be confirmed tomorrow.
“I first want to represent our family and the Washington National Organization and most importantly thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and the city. Our family is forever grateful for their dedication to the organization over the years, including their role in bringing the World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.. ” Chief Mark Lerner said in an official statement from the team.Although we appreciate their past success, we or our fans expect not what we or our fans expect. This is a critical time for our club and we believe that new approaches and new energy are our team moving forward. ”
The news follows Washington’s 6-4 loss to the Red Sox today, down 37-53 this season. Only the White Sox and the Rockies have won fewer games than the Nationals since winning the 2019 World Series. James Wood and Mackenzie Gore Enjoy the breakout season and CJ Abrams The second consecutive year has been a big show, but in fact, the entire roster of the rest of the nation is more like a ladder-level season in the club’s reconstruction.
Given this context, it is no surprise that national ownership has chosen a new beginning, even if the specific timing is somewhat surprising. Bob Nightengale wrote that some contract languages may also be playing, which is the deadline for the group to decide whether to exercise the club in the 2026 season. Martinez’s last expansion is known to include club options for 2026, and while the specific terms of Rizzo’s last expansion are not publicly disclosed, it makes sense that his deal will match Martinez’s contract.
Debartolo has been working at the National Organization since his internship with the team in 2012, and he has been moving to the AGM position on the management ladder ahead of the 2019 season. While most teams will promote temporary positions from within, it is especially important to maintain a certain degree of continuity in this case, in which case it is especially important to maintain a certain amount of continuity as how the Nationals get the first overall draft pick in the MLB draft next weekend, and in addition, there are many important decisions for the club to make in terms of sales ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Rizzo’s tenure with the Nationals was only 19 years away, as he was hired as an assistant GM in July 2006. When Jim Bowden resigned as general manager before the 2009 season began, Rizzo himself was appointed as a temporary GM role, while Rizzo was promoted to full-time general manager job in August. Washington lost 103 games in another 2009 rebuild, but Rizzo was a successful rebuild and franchise overhaul, turning the National into a consistent contender for much of the next decade.
The bottom-down help helped the nation win the first overall draft pick in 2009 (Stephen Strasburg) and 2010 (Bryce Harper) Draft, so Rizzo was fired for some irony, approaching Washington, and getting another best option. Take Anthony Rendon Although Rizo and the Nationals have announced earlier competitive intentions, the sixth-to-large number in 2011 added this new talent core Jayson Werth During the 2010-11 offseason, a seven-year, $126mm free agent deal has been signed.
Over the years, the bold move from the last one was one of Rizzo’s many fascinating deals as the Nationals made larger free agent investments in players, such as Max Shezer and Patrick Corbin. Trea Turner As the prospect of developing into a star infielder, it is the main trade acquisition. Juan SotoFrom international prospects to the emergence of direct superstars adds the all-round creation that ultimately reached in the 2019 World Series title. The championship game started in 2012-19 for Washington for eight consecutive seasons and four NL East Crowns (although NATS entered the 2019 playoffs with wildcards).
Martinez’s recruitment is also a key factor that will ultimately set the nation apart. The long-time former player and coach was the first captain to be hired after the 2017 season, and Martinez’s shoes could be filled with the takeover from Dusty Baker. It took a while for the entire click on Martinez thing, as Nats was only 82-80 in 2018, then started with a 19-31 start in 2019 and then turned everything around in a historic way.
Of course, the Nationals have been disrepair since the 2019 championship. Although the club is willing to get famous figures like Harper and Rendon Walk, the decision to re-sign Strasbourg for seven years, the $245mm contract proved disastrous as an arm injury limited Strasbourg’s only 31 1/3 of the major league innings in the trade and forced the right hand to retire. The Strasbourg problem proves the symbolism of the entire struggle of the people, and the club becomes another period of reconstruction.
Trade Scherzer and Turner to 2021 deadline Josia Gray and Keibert Ruiz For Washington, but the 2022 deadline blockbuster deal brings Soto to the Padres likely has built the foundation for the next era for Nationals to win baseball, even if Rizzo and Martinez won’t be there. Soto deal brings timber, Gore, Abrams, Robert Hassel III and Jarlin Susanain one breath, even if Hassell or Susana hasn’t shown anything at the MLB level yet, it’s already an incredible drag.
However, besides some of the flaws in the National Rebuilding Plan, that single trade comes down to it. The number of talent in the draft and international signing market slowed down the crawl, and Rizzo overhauled his scout and player development a few years ago to solve the problem. Ruiz signed an eight-year, $50mm extension before 2023, but the receiver didn’t become the basis for the front-end hope. Gray and Cade Cavalli Since Gore is the only clear success story on the pitching front, the club can also rebuild the ability to spin depth.
It should be noted that this year’s Nationals entered June with a sizable record of 28-30, so it seems that some hope might be a potential return to the horizon at least 0.500 mark, if not a wildcard battle. However, an 11-game losing streak led to a 7-19 record in June, and Martinez reportedly seemed to blame the clubhouse for the failure of the players rather than the coaching staff. Martinez now continues to move forward with a record of 500-622 to show his eight years of running as Captain Washington.
As pointed out in my recent National-centered Trade Deadline Outlook (for MLBTR Front Desk Subscribers), it seems likely that Washington will play a safe role by this year’s deadline, with a focus on moving upcoming veteran free agents. Today’s news may retain that speculative plan if Debartolo doesn’t want to swing the boat too much, or if ownership might want to save any bigger decisions for the next president of baseball action, whether it’s Debaroto himself in the promotion or a new voice from outside the organization.
The front office who takes over the Nationals will inherit some huge young talent, as there has been some heavy lifting on Timber, Abrams and Gore (Gore is a post-2027 free agent). If the new PBO wants to emanate the front desk staff again and bring some fresh blood, this could extend the reconstruction further, which may not be heard by Washington fans after losing six years of baseball, which may not be heard. There is also a lingering question of when the Lerners will start increasing NAT salary, or if Lerners are still considering the sale of the sales team after spending nearly two years exploring the market.
