The Washington Nationals have signed president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. His contract was set to expire after the season. Washington signed manager Davey Martinez to a two-year contract extension last month.
"Mike and I have talked and worked with each other almost daily for 17 years. Together with my family and the entire Nationals staff, we've always shared the same dream: to make the Washington Nationals a team that our fans could love and be proud of," Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. "We have all worked collectively to build what was essentially an expansion team with no Major League depth into a contender, and then into a World Series champion. We've experienced some tough losing seasons and we've hung championship banners, and we've done it all together."
Rizzo, 64, is the third-longest tenured baseball operations head in baseball, behind only New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman and St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Originally hired as an assistant GM in 2006, Rizzo rose to GM in 2009 and was then elevated to president of baseball operations in 2012.
"I love being part of the Washington Nationals organization," Rizzo said in a statement. "Nearly 17 years ago, Ted Lerner and his family asked me to help build the Nats into a winning team. Together, we managed to find success within just a few years, winning multiple divisional titles and, ultimately, bringing D.C. its first World Series championship since 1924. It has been a pleasure to work alongside ownership as we put the pieces together for our initial team build-up and run. Now, we believe we are developing the next generation of contenders and champions."
Under Rizzo, the Nationals went from rebuilding also-rans in the late 2000s to division champions in the early-to-mid 2010s. He was the architect of the club's 2019 World Series championship team, which featured Rizzo draft picks Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg, international signing Juan Soto, trade pickup Trea Turner, and free-agent addition Max Scherzer, among others.
The Nationals are now in another rebuilding phase and the team's young core includes righty Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz (acquired in the Scherzer and Turner trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers), and shortstop C.J. Abrams and lefty MacKenzie Gore (Soto trade with the San Diego Padres). Washington also has two premium outfield prospects in James Wood (Soto trade) and Dylan Crews (No. 2 pick in 2023 draft).
Rizzo's front office will have a different look next season. Longtime lieutenant Johnny DiPuglia stepped down as international scouting director earlier this month, and the Nationals have also parted ways with several scouts in recent weeks. Turnover in the scouting ranks is not uncommon this time of year, though Washington's departures have been excessive.
The Lerner family paused efforts to sell the franchise earlier this year, though they are expected to resume the search for a new owner in the future. Rizzo's extension provides front office stability at a time when things will potentially transition at the ownership level. The Nationals are in last place in the NL East at 65-80. It would be their fourth straight last-place finish.
Prior to joining the Nationals, Rizzo worked as a scout with the Chicago White Sox and is credited with signing Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. He also scouted with the Boston Red Sox and worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks front office, rising as high as assistant GM. Rizzo won a World Series ring with the 2001 D-Backs.
