This Trade Deadline Could Determine if Nationals Retain Mike DeBartolo

The Washington Nationals surprised a lot of people when they decided to move on from longtime executive Mike Rizzo and their World Series-winning manager Dave Martinez when they did.

Based on how things have gone since the 2019 championship, the firing of the duo wasn't necessarily the surprise. It was more so the fact that this decision was made right before the 2025 MLB draft.

Already with a spotlight on them since they had the No. 1 pick, the Nationals threw themselves into the headlines when they didn't select either of the two players who were projected to go first overall, instead taking high school star Eli Willits.

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At the head of those decisions in some capacity was new interim general manager Mike DeBartolo.

He's openly talked about moving the Nationals forward, and the selection of Willits certainly was a statement that he was running the show now.

How long DeBartolo remains in his current role is to be determined, with Washington expected to hire someone from the outside to take over as president of baseball operations.

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That's why Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) believes DeBartolo is one of the current executives who is under the most pressure ahead of this year's trade deadline, with him believing the future of DeBartolo with the Nationals could be determined by how everything goes before July 31.

"DeBartolo ... has a relatively rare opportunity in this role to keep the job longer term, but that's likely only going to happen if he has a solid trade deadline," Bowden wrote. "... he could make a big impression if he goes outside the box and can land a haul for one of the core players not named James Wood or MacKenzie Gore ... However, if DeBartolo's trade deadline is a dud, it could mean he never gets another opportunity in the big chair."

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what happens.

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Washington doesn't have a ton of coveted pieces they are interested in moving outside of Kyle Finnegan and Nathaniel Lowe, so it could be hard to make an impression.

But if he's able to maximize the return the team gets, then that is a solid audition for whoever is hired to take over the president of baseball operations role.

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