Nats seek 'fresh approach,' fire Martinez, Rizzo

The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of shot operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, the squad announced Sunday.

Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals successful 2019, but the squad has floundered successful caller years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck astatine the bottommost of the National League East aft getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this play astatine home. Washington hasn't finished higher than 4th successful the part since winning the World Series.

"On behalf of our household and the Washington Nationals organization, I archetypal and foremost privation to convey Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city," main proprietor Mark Lerner said successful a statement. "Our household is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles successful bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.

"While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field show has not been wherever we oregon our fans expect it to be. This is simply a pivotal clip for our club, and we judge a caller attack and caller vigor is the champion people of enactment for our squad moving forward."

Mike DeBartolo, the club's elder vice president and adjunct wide manager, was named interim GM connected Sunday night. DeBartolo volition oversee each aspects of shot operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement volition beryllium made connected the interim manager Monday, a time earlier the nine begins a bid against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo has been the apical decision-maker successful Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been connected committee since 2018. Under Rizzo's leadership, the squad made the postseason 4 times: successful 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The second play was Martinez's lone playoff appearance.

"When our household assumed power of the team, astir 20 years ago, Mike was the archetypal prosecute we made," Lerner said. "Over 2 decades, helium was with america arsenic we went from a fledging squad successful a caller metropolis to World Series champion. Mike helped marque america who we are arsenic an organization, and we're truthful thankful to him for his hard enactment and dedication -- not conscionable connected the tract and successful the beforehand office, but successful the assemblage arsenic well."

The Nationals are successful the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the squad didn't augment its young halfway overmuch during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest radical of hitters successful MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.

The squad mislaid 11 consecutive games successful a forgettable agelong past month. And during a 2-10 tally successful June, Washington averaged conscionable 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals person scored 1 tally oregon been unopen retired 7 times. In Sunday's 6-4 loss to Boston, they near 15 runners connected base.

There was manufacture speculation implicit the wintertime that the Nationals would walk wealth connected escaped agents for the archetypal clip successful respective years, but that ne'er materialized. Instead, the squad made insignificant moves, signing escaped agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for archetypal baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing person Kyle Finnegan. Now, the anticipation is simply a caller absorption team, some connected and disconnected the field, tin assistance alteration the franchise's fortunes.