The Washington Nationals are set to undergo a lot of changes from the way they entered the 2025 season. After the previous regime, lead by General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Dave Martinez declared the rebuild over, the Nationals failed to even reach as many wins as they did in the last couple seasons.
In fact, there is a very legitimate argument to be made that the 2025 season was the worst and most disappointing one in Nationals history, given that the fans were given actual hope and opportunities to believe in the club. Unfortunately, those comments helped cost Rizzo and Martinez their jobs back in July, and the team began to turn over a new leaf heading forward.
Part of that new leaf that is being turned over is the introduction of the team's new President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, who was persuaded to leave the Boston Red Sox organization after a successful tenure in their front office.
Arguably the biggest decision that Toboni will have to make this offseason is who will lead his young ballclub into the 2026 season and hopefully beyond, as the Nationals have a clear vacancy at the helm of their team. While candidates such as Kurt Suzuki and others could realistically be considered, there have been almost no whispers to this point about which direction the team will go with their next manager hire.
As of now, things appear pretty unsettled for the club with regard to their coaching staff, but one thing is for certain: Dave Martinez wants another shot. Despite a record below .500 as a manager for his career, the 2019 World Series Champion skipper wants a chance to be able to manage a team again in the near future.
Recently, Martinez told The Athletic that he is still looking to manage, and is actively searching for his next opportunity. While there is a very likely chance Martinez will have to rebuild his value by serving as an assistant on someone's staff for a year or more, there is always the possibility that Martinez is given another chance to lead a club once again.
There are a lot of managerial openings around the league, and while there has not yet been any word of Martinez getting interviews for other clubs, a World Series winning manager doesn't come around super often. It will be interesting to see if Martinez ends up getting any legitimate consideration for a managerial role in 2026 and beyond, but it seems as if he will have to be patient in waiting for his next chance.
Do you think Dave Martinez should get another manager job in the near future? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.