As reported would be the case by CBS Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman on Friday, the Nationals have indeed fired manager Matt Williams. The club announced the move Monday.
Williams, 49, just finished his second season as Nationals manager. The team went 96-66 and won the NL East in 2014, his first year as a big league skipper. Williams was named the NL Manager of the Year thanks to the team's performance.
This year though, the Nationals went a disappointing 83-79 after coming into the season as NL East favorites, if not World Series favorites. Williams has been on the hot seat for weeks, and his handling of the Jonathan Papelbon-Bryce Harper incident seemed to be the final straw.
GM Mike Rizzo hired Williams, whom he knew from their days with the Diamondbacks, before last season. Rizzo has stood up for Williams in recent weeks, but not enough to save his job. Ownership was reportedy -- and understandably -- very upset with the team's season.
The Nationals face a critical offseason this winter. The team is losing several important players to free agency, most notably Ian Desmond, Denard Span and Jordan Zimmermann, yet they are in win-now mode. Stephen Strasburg will also be a free agent following the 2016 season.
In addition to Williams, the Nationals announced they will not renew the contracts of bench coach Randy Knorr, pitching coach Steve McCatty, hitting coach Rich Schu, third base coach Bobby Henley, first base coach Tony Tarasco, bullpen coach Matt LeCroy and defensive coordinator/advance coach Mark Weidemaier. The entire staff has been let go.
It's too early to know which direction the Nationals will go with their next manager. They could hire from the outside or promote from within.
