Mike Rizzo Breaks Silence On Getting Fired Sunday Night originally appeared on The Spun.
Mike Rizzo, the GM of the Washington Nationals, got fired on Sunday evening.
The Nationals, three-plus years into their rebuild following the Juan Soto trade – and, really, the rebuild started one year before that, in 2021, when Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were fired – are one of the worst teams in baseball.
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Washington, which won a World Series in 2019, has the second-worst record in all of baseball – ahead of just Colorado – since then. The Nats are coming off of a weekend sweep by the Boston Red Sox.
Sunday night, the Nationals announced that both Rizzo and his manager, Dave Martinez, have been fired.
“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” team owner Mark D. Lerner said.
“Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C. 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.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 23: Max Scherzer #31 of the Washington Nationals throws a pitch against the New York Yankees during the first inning in the game at Nationals Park on July 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Sunday night, Rizzo, one of the longest tenured executives in all of baseball, broke his silence on the firing.
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“The sun will come up tomorrow,” Rizzo said in a text message to The Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga. “That’s the job. I had a great run. Navigated that ownership group for almost 20 years.”
Senior vice president and assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo has been named the team’s interim GM. The team has yet to announce who will be serving as the team’s interim manager, though an announcement is expected Monday.
Mike Rizzo Breaks Silence On Getting Fired Sunday Night first appeared on The Spun on Jul 6, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.