Nationals Shake Up Front Office, Fire GM and Manager
Amidst what some consider to be a failed rebuild, the Nationals have pulled off a mid-season shakeup and let go of their manager and GM.
Late Sunday evening, the Washington Nationals announced that they have decided to move on from both their President of Baseball Operations/General Manager, Mike Rizzo, and their manager, Dave Martinez.
Rizzo took over as general manager in 2009 and helped bring a World Series to D.C. in 2019. Martinez was hired as manager in 2018 and was also a key part to their championship run.
This news comes with some mixed feelings from the Nationals faithful. Rizzo deserves a lot of credit for his role in building what went on to be a championship team. Matt Adams, Brian Dozier, Adam Eaton, Howie Kendrick, Patrick Corbin, Trea Turner, Max Scherzer, and many others, were all brought in by Rizzo.
Of course, homegrown talent Like Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and Juan Soto are also to be added to his resume.
Martinez also played a pivotal role in the Nationals historic turnaround from a 19-31 record to winning the World Series. While many players have enjoyed playing for Martinez it was clear a change was needed.
Just three weeks ago Martinez said “It’s never on coaching. Never on coaching. Coaches work their asses off every single day. We’re not going to finger point here and say it’s coaches. They work hard.” This was little more than a clear message and indication that the clubhouse was lost.
This was the year for Washington to finally start to turn the corner and show signs of heading in the right direction. Instead, they sit at 37-53, last in the NL East headed once again towards selling at the deadline.
Did the Nationals’ Rebuild Fail?
The Nationals saw their World Series team slowly shed its roster as Harper, Scherzer, Rendon, Turner, and others left via trade or free agency. The band aids they tried to put on the team didn’t take and eventually the last key piece, Soto, was dealt to the Padres.
The return for Soto has looked great for the Nationals as CJ Abrams, James Wood, and MacKenzie Gore look like foundation pieces and Jarlin Susana has landed on Just Baseball’s top 100 prospect list. I’d argue this degree of success from a trade is quite literally the best possible scenario.
However, not much has gone right outside of that trade. The farm system was bare the last few seasons and is starting to build back up while the major league team has not surpassed 71 wins since their World Series season.
Considering their rebuild was not ripping the band-aid off all at once but instead peeling it back piece by piece over three years, it’s hard to say if the rebuild has failed or not. We simply do not have enough information on the players they have acquired but early returns look promising.
The bigger issue has been how the Nationals have drafted. First-rounders Mason Denaburg, Jackson Rutledge, and Cade Cavalli have made little impact. Elijah Green doesn’t look like he’ll ever quite reach the majors and Dylan Crews has struggled to start his career.
Washington has not attracted free agents during their rebuild window, which is understandable, but did bring in major leaguers Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell this season, both of which have underperformed.
Now in year six of sub-.500 baseball, a move needed to be made.
Time for a Change
The timing of this move is not all that surprising. In sports, right or wrong, few coach (managers) or general managers make it after five straight losing seasons. Whether or not it is their fault doesn’t really matter because the reality is they will be the first to go.
Making this move now allows for Rizzo to exit before the deadline. Why allow a GM to handle the deadline if it was clear you would move on in the offseason? The St. Louis Cardinals have a similar situation going on with their current group of decision-makers.
As for Martinez, it was simply his time. A message gets stale and the nostalgia from the glory days fades quickly. His words, quoted above, tells you all you need to know.
For Washington, you get a fresh start. New perspectives and ideas infused into a young team that has plenty of talent and upside that a new staff can anchor into and grow together, hopefully back to the playoffs.
Of course, you’ll have to wait until more permanent decisions are made. With new leadership comes new philosophes and preferences for roster construction. We’ll soon find out who is seen as part of the core and who isn’t. But, at least the new staff can count on a few names being around long term.
Final Thoughts
Winning a World Series makes the eventual rebuild more acceptable, for lack of a better term. Fans have experienced the mountain top and in the end it was all worth it. However, the downward trend eventually needs to reverse direction and we did not see that change with the current staff.
Martinez and Rizzo will have a legacy in Washington that can never be taken away. Although fans are not happy with them now, they will forever hold a place in Nationals history. They gave the great people of the D.C. area a championship, something their other sports teams have struggled to do.
Where the Nationals go from here is crucial. Abrams and Gore are both getting closer to free agency, giving the Nationals a shorter window to turn this around and start flirting with a Wild Card spot as early as next season. A team with this level of talent as their core should be an attractive destination both in the front office and in the dugout. These hires are going to determine the Nationals trajectory for the next decade. Don’t screw it up.
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