At long last, the Washington Nationals have fired manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo. The fact that it took this long is ridiculous, as the rebuild has been a complete failure with Rizzo's leadership. Martinez seemed to hate his own players while at the same time defending his buddies who he had on the coaching staff. Davey's issues, while plentiful, really only affected the major league team. Rizzo, on the other hand, was a complete disaster and is the reason the franchise is still in the stone age of baseball. His many shortcomings have been detailed in the past, but now we can look towards the future, which looks infinitely brighter than it did Sunday morning, thanks in part to the interim GM Mike DeBartolo.
Mike DeBartolo joined the Washington Nationals organization in 2012 as an intern and became the Assistant GM in 2019. He has been involved with contract and trade negotiations, baseball operations, and salary arbitration, among other areas. Perhaps the most exciting part about DeBartolo becoming the interim GM is his emphasis on utilizing analytics and modern technology throughout the entire organization, a concept which Mike Rizzo had never even heard of. In an interview with reporters Monday afternoon, DeBartolo said "Coming from an analytics background and building up that department, I'm excited to try to leverage both analytics and also new technology throughout the organization."
great story from Spencer, a lot of interesting information including Soto trade but this stood out https://t.co/G6ie6hQPht pic.twitter.com/4mDzNmD9lF
— SUMMER SHACK (@WeAreAllShack) July 7, 2025
It's not just the fans who are excited about this change in approach, it's those within the organization, too. The new embrace of analytics and modern technology by DeBartolo has finally given hope to a franchise who seemed to be stuck in the past.
"Five people in the front office... cast Monday as the most optimistic they have felt about the future of the franchise in a long time."Spencer Nusbaum
Perhaps the most stunning thing to come out after Mike Rizzo's long overdue firing was about the Juan Soto trade back in 2022. One thing that many people gave Mike Rizzo credit for was how he handled trades. Many people gave him credit for getting a great return for Soto, which was warranted at the time. However, it turns out that Rizzo was not behind that trade, but rather it was Mike DeBartolo.
"As early as the 2021 season, DeBartolo began laying the groundwork for a deal and talking to other general managers in its early stages.... He deemed the San Diego Padres a good fit and helped put together players who eventually ended up in the package.... DeBartolo pushed for the move, making his case for sweeping change, and Rizzo pulled the trigger."Spencer Nusbaum
Ultimately, Rizzo was still the one who had the final say in completing the Soto trade, but DeBartolo is the reason why the Nationals have James Wood, CJ Abrams, and MacKenzie Gore, all of whom have been named all-stars in their careers.
So is Mike DeBartolo the long-term answer for the Nationals when it comes to the GM position? It's hard to say. Chelsea Janes, a reporter for the Washington Post, said on 106.7 The Fan that the Lerner family might stick with DeBartolo because it's cheaper and it requires less effort on their part. But there are several great options for GM that could take over and turn the franchise in his own unique direction, basically starting from scratch. DeBartolo could also remain as Assistant GM if the Nationals do go with an outside hire. One thing is clear though: whoever the new GM is, whether it be DeBartolo or an outside hire, the Nationals future is looking bright for the first time in half a decade.