Nationals Fire Manager Dave Martinez, GM Mike Rizzo Amid 37-53 Record

The Washington Nationals are changing leadership after a shaky start to the season.

The team announced Sunday that it has fired manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo. Washington is 37-53 on the season, sitting in fifth place in the NL East. The Nationals then named Miguel Cairo interim manager on Monday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the firings.

Martinez took over as the Nationals' manager in 2018 and led the team to a 93-69 finish with a World Series win over the Houston Astros in just his second season at the helm.

But since that World Series run, Washington has had little to show for.

The Nationals have missed the postseason for five consecutive seasons and are on their way to doing so this year. The team has gone 71-91 in each of the last two years.

Martinez defended his coaching staff last month when asked whether the team's struggles should be pinned more on players or coaches.

"It's never on coaching," Martinez told reporters after a loss to the Miami Marlins. "Never on coaching. Coaches work their asses off every single day. We're not going to finger-point here and say it's coaches. It's never on the coaches. They work hard. The message is clear. All the work is done prior. So sometimes, they have to go out there and play the game. It's always been about the players. Always."

Rizzo had been in Washington since 2007, joining as assistant general manager before taking over as general manager in 2009. He has also served as president of baseball operations since 2013.

Under Rizzo, the team drafted and saw the emergence of eventual MVP Bryce Harper. Rizzo also signed Max Scherzer in 2015, and he went on to win a pair of Cy Young Awards with the team.

Despite the individual success of Nats' players, the team saw little postseason success. Though it won the World Series in 2019, the Nationals made it past the NLDS just one time under Rizzo.

Along with the firing of Martinez and Rizzo, the team announced that Mike DeBartolo will serve as interim general manager for the Nationals. DeBartolo has been with the team since 2012 and currently serves as the assistant general manager and senior vice president of baseball operations.