Nationals New Regime Will Have Massive Undertaking To Get Back in Contention

The Washington Nationals made some seismic changes to their franchise recently when it was announced that general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were both fired.

Rizzo had been with the franchise since 2007, when he began as assistant general manager. In 2009, he was promoted to general manager, and in 2013, he also took over as the president of baseball operations.

Martinez’s first season as manager was in 2018, and in Year 2 on the job, he helped navigate the Nationals to a World Series.

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However, since that championship, Washington has been mired in an ugly rebuild that has resulted in a lot of talented players either leaving in free agency or being traded away.

It has resulted in numerous losses on the field, with the Nationals trending toward their fifth last-place finish in the National League East in 2025 since their title.

That lack of positive steps forward is likely a major reason why Rizzo and Martinez were fired, as the team is lacking many foundational pieces to build upon for the future.

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Right now, they have an incredible trio with left fielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore. Beyond those three, there isn’t too much to get excited about currently.

“What exactly is the plan and the timeline here now? The Nationals have done nothing around the core of James Wood, C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — literally, the rest of the roster is barely above replacement level — and now might be starting over again,” wrote Tim Britton of The Athletic (subscription required) in this week’s MLB power rankings.

Whomever takes over the vacancies and establishes the new regime is going to have their work cut out for them.

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Those three players were all acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade, which speaks volumes to the lack of success Washington has had with its player development.

Some wholesale changes with how the franchise has operated are going to be needed, but that will take ownership adjusting before any real progress can be made by the front office and coaching staff.

That trio may not even be around too much longer with Gore under team control for only two more seasons and Abrams under control for three.

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For some context to how quickly time is ticking, the Nationals traded Soto at the same point of his team control that Gore is currently at.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.