Washington Nationals abruptly fire former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder after 8 years with the club
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com/
The Washington Nationals have made an abrupt in-season shake-up of their organization, as ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez have both been fired.
The Nationals have confirmed the news, and announced that assistant GM Mike DeBartolo will be the team's interim general manager for the remainder of the season. An interim manager to replace Martinez will be determined today.
«On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city.
Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.» managing principal owner Mark Lerner said in an official statement from the team.
«While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our Club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.»
Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.» managing principal owner Mark Lerner said in an official statement from the team.
«While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our Club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.»
The news comes on the heels of Washington's 6-4 loss to the Red Sox today, which dropped the Nats to a dismal 37-53 for the season.
Only the White Sox and Rockies have won fewer games than the Nationals, who are on pace for their sixth straight losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.
It was known that Martinez's last extension contained a club option for 2026, and while the specific terms of Rizzo's last extension weren't publicly revealed, it makes sense that his deal would line up timeline-wise with Martinez's contract.
Washington lost 103 games in 2009 in the low point of another rebuild, yet Mike Rizzo overalled a successful rebuild and franchise overhaul that turned the Nationals into consistent contenders for much of the next decade.
Martinez's hiring was a key element in finally getting the Nationals over the top.
The longtime former player and coach was a first-time skipper when he was hired following the 2017 season, and Martinez had big shoes to fill in taking over from Dusty Baker.
It took a while for things to fully click for Martinez, as the Nats were only 82-80 in 2018, and then got off to a 19-31 start in 2019 before turning things around in historic fashion winning the World Series.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 7 | 142 ANSWERS Washington Nationals abruptly fire former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder after 8 years with the club Do you think another club will hire Dave Martinez as their manager in the near future? | ||
| Yes | 66 | 46.5 % |
| No | 36 | 25.4 % |
| Too early to tell | 40 | 28.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
