$54M Offseason Gamble, Draft Misfires, and Developmental Stagnation Force Leadership Overhaul

WASHINGTON D.C. - Yesterday afternoon, the Washington Nationals entered a new era—one marked by upheaval, introspection, and a desperate search for direction. In a move that stunned the baseball world, the team fired both the president of baseball operations, Mike Rizzo, and the manager, Dave Martinez, just one week before holding the No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft and less than a month before the trade deadline. This dramatic housecleaning is the culmination of years of stagnation, questionable spending, and a leadership group that, by many accounts, had grown indifferent and disconnected from the franchise’s trajectory.

 “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,” owner Mark Lerner said in a statement.

After years of bottom-tier payrolls and tepid investments, the Nationals’ 2024-25 offseason was supposed to signal a modest step forward. Instead, it became a case study of inefficiency. General manager Mike Rizzo was given a limited budget—about $54 million in free agent commitments—but the returns have been disastrous: 

These signings, intended to stabilize a young, rebuilding roster, instead highlighted the front office’s inability to extract value from limited resources. The Nationals’ payroll, which was once among the top 10 in MLB from 2014 to 2021, has consistently ranked in the bottom ten over the past three seasons. Rizzo, in his parting words, seemed to take a veiled shot at ownership: “Navigated that ownership group for almost 20 years”.

Two of the most glaring examples of developmental failure are Carter Kieboom and Victor Robles. Kieboom, a 2016 first-round pick and once a consensus top-20 prospect, was expected to anchor third base after Anthony Rendon’s departure. Instead, he struggled at the major league level, posting a .199 career average with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs over four seasons before leaving the organization. Robles, once a top-10 prospect and projected All-Star center fielder, never developed offensively and was hampered by injuries, failing to become the franchise cornerstone many expected. Their struggles underscore the organization’s long-standing issues in player evaluation and development.

Despite holding premium draft positions in recent years, the Nationals’ depth remains lacking. The upcoming 2025 MLB Draft, where the team holds the No. 1 overall pick, is a rare opportunity to reverse the trend, but there is no consensus top player, and the team’s draft strategy remains unclear.

 Leadership Overhaul: A Necessary Reset

The firings of Rizzo and Martinez mark the end of an era. Rizzo, 64, was the architect of the Nationals’ only World Series title but oversaw a rapid decline in the years since. Martinez, who posted a .446 winning percentage (ninth-lowest among managers with at least 1,000 games), became the face of a team stuck in neutral. The Nationals’ 37-53 record this season is the fourth-worst in baseball, and the club has languished at the bottom of the NL East for years.

 “The sun will come up tomorrow,” Rizzo texted The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga. “That’s the job. I had a great run. Navigated that ownership group for almost 20 years.”

The timing of the move—just before the draft and trade deadline—raised eyebrows across the league. “The move stunned the industry,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, noting that the team faced a deadline to pick up Martinez’s 2026 option and was unwilling to let him manage as a lame duck.

In a key development following the leadership shakeup, the Nationals announced on Monday that Miguel Cairo will serve as the team’s Interim Manager for the remainder of the 2025 season. The announcement was made by Mike DeBartolo, the Nationals' interim general manager, who was appointed to guide the franchise through this transitional period.

 Cairo, a respected baseball veteran with extensive coaching experience, is expected to bring stability and steady leadership as the Nationals prepare for the draft and trade deadline. His appointment signals the organization’s intent to move forward decisively while searching for a permanent managerial solution.

Assistant GM Mike DeBartolo has been named interim general manager and will oversee the draft and trade deadline. The Nationals’ next moves will be watched closely, especially with the possibility of trading controllable players like MacKenzie Gore for a package of future building blocks.

The ownership’s recent engagement stands in stark contrast to years of perceived apathy. As one former executive suggested, the Lerner family’s sudden action may be an attempt to deflect criticism from their own stewardship. The Nationals’ future now hinges on their ability to capitalize on the No. 1 pick, make shrewd trades, and finally develop a new core of talent.

For a fan base that once celebrated a miraculous World Series run, the hope is that this reset—however belated—marks the beginning of a true rebuild, not just another cycle of disappointment and missed opportunities.

“This is a pivotal time for our Club,” Lerner concluded. “We are confident in [DeBartolo’s] ability to lead the baseball operations staff through these next, important months”.