The Washington Nationals have fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, the team announced Sunday.
Assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo has been named interim GM and will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the upcoming MLB Draft, in which the Nationals possess the No. 1 pick.
Washington faced a tough June, going 7-19, and is currently sitting in last place in the NL East at 37-53.
Rizzo, 64, served as the Nationals’ GM since 2009 and was promoted to president of baseball operations in 2013. He helped transform the Nationals into a consistent winner as Washington claimed four NL East titles in his early years in leadership between 2012-2017. Rizzo aided Washington’s roster by beefing it up ahead of its 2019 World Series championship.
However, since winning the title that year, the Nationals rank third in the majors in losses, one behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, 14 behind the Colorado Rockies. The Nationals have not advanced to the postseason since that World Series run.
Martinez, meanwhile, is leaving his first managerial job after being hired by Washington in 2017. The 60-year-old is the Nationals’ longest-tenured manager after spending eight seasons in Washington. He previously served as a coach for the Chicago Cubs in 2016 and spent 16 years in the big leagues as a player, beginning that stint in 1986.
One of the reasons the Nationals have struggled is due to their lack of investment. The Nationals opened with a top-10 payroll seven out of eight seasons between 2014 and 2021, but in the past three years have averaged in the bottom 10. So, while the Nats hold the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, selecting in the same spot where they landed Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010, the end of their rebuild is not necessarily in sight.
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