rewrite this title Nationals fire manager Dave Martinez, GM Mike Rizzo in major shakeup

In a stunning move just a week before the MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals have fired longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, per ESPN. 

Mike DeBartolo will take over as interim GM, but the timing of the decision is sure to raise eyebrows across the league.

With the Nationals holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, plus the upcoming All-Star break and trade deadline all packed into July, Washington’s front-office shakeup couldn’t have come at a more chaotic time.

Rizzo, who helped architect the franchise’s miracle 2019 World Series run, had been with the Nationals since 2006 and served as GM since 2009. Martinez, hired in 2018, was the club’s winningest manager since it moved to Washington and a key figure in its championship success. 

But since hoisting the trophy, the Nationals have plunged into a years-long rebuild in the post-Juan Soto era, with exciting young talent acquired in that blockbuster deal in 2022 but little to show for it, finishing near the bottom of the NL East in each of the past four seasons. They sit at the bottom of the division this season with a 37-53 record.

With a critical first-overall pick on the line, it appears ownership wants a fresh perspective in place now rather than after the deadline.

DeBartolo, previously an assistant GM, now faces the tall task of running the draft room, managing trade-deadline talks and shaping the organization’s future — all in a matter of weeks. 

The Nationals’ decision signals urgency — but also potential disarray —as they attempt to possibly contend in 2026 and beyond.