Former Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was “a little surprised” when the franchise fired him on Sunday, he told “The Sports Junkies” radio show and podcast on Wednesday.
In his first interview since the news broke, Rizzo said he’s been sleeping well at night.
“It was a trying couple of days since the weekend. But we’re all adults here,” the 64-year-old said. “We’re big boys and we know what we’re getting into when we take these jobs, and we had a hell of a run. I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
Team owner Mark Lerner fired Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on Sunday after a run that featured a World Series triumph in 2019. The Nationals failed to post a winning record in the six seasons since their title and wallow in last place in the National League East at 37-54.
“I told them, ‘I still believe I’m the best person to lead this organization to a championship.’ I still believe that; I still believe in the talent of this team,” Rizzo said. “We have a lot of good, young players; we just don’t match up with the big boys of the National League and the depth of good players.”
The Rizzo era was defined by a lack of money spent on free agents. Established players were often traded rather than re-signed, and the Lerners were reluctant to dole out big deals on the open market.
Rizzo, many fans believe, was hamstrung.
“There was frustration to go around for everybody, from ownership to players to scouting to development, all that stuff,” he said. “There was frustration from all sides, especially when you’re not playing your best baseball.”
Rizzo, who was the Nats’ GM and president of baseball operations since 2013, didn’t confirm or deny rumors that he was given an ultimatum to fire Martinez, who was manager starting in 2018, or lose his job.
Rizzo admitted that the news was not totally unexpected.
“I was a little surprised, but I wasn’t shocked. … I think it was a little surprising, just because of the timing,” Rizzo said. “When you have conversations with ownership and they make decisions and when you’re at a point where you’re struggling in a season and you’re trying to make everything right and play better baseball, it could’ve happened at any time during the season.”
Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo will lead the franchise in the MLB draft this weekend, with Washington holding the No. 1 pick. The trade deadline looms at the end of July.
Rizzo said he held his head high as he left the organization he joined in 2007, turning what he called a “circus act” into a championship club.
“I did it my way,” he noted. “I sleep well at night knowing that we did that.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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