Mike Rizzo, Nationals Reportedly Agree to 3-Year Contract Extension

General manager Mike Rizzo helped lead the Washington Nationals to the World Series title last season and will reportedly be rewarded accordingly with a contract extension.

On Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Nationals signed Rizzo to a three-year extension. Rosenthal noted Rizzo's previous contract was due to expire following the 2020 campaign.

Rizzo was the assistant general manager before he landed his current position in an interim role in March 2009 after Jim Bowden was dismissed. The Nationals made Rizzo the permanent GM later that year, and he also became president of baseball operations in 2013.

The Nationals also signed Rizzo to an extension in 2018, when he was also in the final year of his contract.

Washington has not finished with a losing record since the 2011 campaign.

In fact, the National League East team has made the playoffs five times in Rizzo's tenure, bolstered by moves such as drafting Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper and signing Max Scherzer.

The issue was always advancing in October, as Washington lost in the National League Division Series the first four times it qualified for the playoffs since moving from Montreal after the 2004 season.

However, the 2019 campaign was different. The Nats broke through by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Game, the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series and the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series.

They then defeated the Houston Astros in a thrilling seven-game World Series.

The Nationals likely will not repeat since they are 13-24 and in last place, but they at least know the GM who helped them reach the mountaintop will still be around after this season.