It was time: Washington Nationals moving on from Davey Martinez, Mike Rizzo

A nice 12-6 stretch got the Washington Nationals back within three games of .500, after a 2-0 win in Nats Park over the Texas Rangers on June 6, but the wheels, turns out, were about to fall off the wagon.

Texas won the next two to take that weekend series, starting the Nationals on an 11-game losing streak, and after a weekend sweep by the Boston Red Sox on Half Street that concluded on Sunday, Washington is mired in last place in the NL East, losers of 20 of their last 27.

This was, finally, enough for the Lerners to part ways not just with Davey Martinez, who has been the team’s manager since 2018, but also the GM, Mike Rizzo, who guided the franchise through a run of four playoff appearances from 2014-2019, and the 2019 world title.

The teardown from 2019 has been lengthy, painful, and it’s still hard to see where things are going, even with that theft of a trade that Rizzo engineered with the San Diego Padres in 2022, getting staff ace MacKenzie Gore, breakthrough stars James Woods and CJ Abrams, and two other prospects expected to contribute soon for slugger Juan Soto.

Rizzo was also able to flip Trea Turner and Max Scherzer for everyday catcher Keibert Ruiz and 2023 All-Star pitcher Josiah Gray, who has been out for the past year and a half after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but projects as a top-of-the-rotation starter.

The 2025 Nats have also benefited from the call-ups of former first-round picks Brady House and Dylan Crews, and the surprise emergence of Jacob Young, a seventh-round pick.

The last two Nats teams each won 71 games, and the goal going into 2025 had to be, compete for .500.

So, what gives?

Well, the numbers suggest that this team should be 16 games under.

The Nats have been outscored, on the aggregate, by 86 runs through 90 games.

The bullpen has an MLB-worst 5.79 ERA, and that’s with closer Kyle Finnegan putting up solid numbers, as usual – 2.43 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 18 saves.

Gore made the All-Star team despite a 3-8 won-loss record – with the players recognizing him for his 3.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 3.2 WAR.

Note there, with WAR, that the metric is suggesting that he’s been worth 3.2 wins above replacement for the Nats so far this season, though he has just the three wins.

It’s not like there’ve been a bunch of tight losses – Washington is 12-13 in one-run games and 4-2 in extra-inning games.

They’re just, you know, not good.

“The on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be,” Nats owner Mark Lerner said in a statement announcing the changes at the top. “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.”

The move comes a week ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft, with the Nationals having the first overall pick, with the latest projection on who that will be, from MLB.com, being LSU left-hander Kade Anderson, the idea being that the power arm – Anderson struck out 180 in 119 innings this spring, on his way to a 12-1 record for the College World Series champs – will be ready to help at the big-league level sooner than the top high-school prospect, shortstop Ethan Holliday, the brother of 2022 #1 overall pick Jackson Holliday.

Getting this 1/1 pick right is obviously crucial for a franchise that rode back-to-back 1/1 picks, Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010), to a run of playoff berths.

It still feels, to me, like there’s a good young core ready to break out – House, Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. in the infield, Wood, Young and Crews in the outfield, Ruiz at catcher, Gore and eventually Gray at 1-2 in the starting rotation.

A power bat at first, starting pitching depth, depth in the bullpen, and this team should be able to compete for the next three or four years, with Wood as the unquestioned linchpin.

It’s still a young team, but 37-53 through 90 games is unacceptable.

It is time – maybe past time – for a fresh approach and new energy.