Nationals basic supervisor Mike Rizzo made his weekly look on the Sports activities Junkies present on 106.7 FM The Fan this morning and mentioned a variety of matters, starting (and focusing most closely) on latest feedback from his supervisor Davey Martinez and the staff’s 10-game shedding streak (audio hyperlink to full present, with Rizzo’s interview commencing across the 2 hour, 24 minute mark). He additionally touched on key variations between the 2019 Nats’ early struggles and the present staff’s struggles, issues he’d wish to see from catcher Keibert Ruiz, and on former prime prospect Cade Cavalli’s progress within the minors. It’s a broad-reaching interview filled with prolonged and candid solutions that Nats followers, specifically, will need to take a look at in full.
Martinez discovered himself on the middle of some controversy in latest days, largely on account of contradictory statements on back-to-back days over the weekend. Talking with the Nationals beat on Saturday, Martinez adamantly defended his teaching workers earlier than suggesting that the onus for turning round amid such a prolonged shedding streak falls to the gamers. The following day, Martinez recommended he was merely voicing help for his teaching workers and claimed, confoundingly, that he’d by no means talked about his gamers. Per Andrew Golden of the Washington Put up, Martinez’s lack of accountability for his feedback left some gamers “pissed [off].”
By way of the Put up’s Spencer Nusbaum, Martinez acknowledged the next on Saturday:
“Generally they acquired to go on the market and so they acquired to play the sport. It’s at all times been in regards to the gamers. All the time. I performed this recreation a very long time. By no means as soon as have I blamed a coach for something. [As players], we labored our asses off to get higher. They gave us info, and we used it. These guys perceive what the sport is. … Generally you bought to place the onus on the gamers. They acquired to go on the market, and so they acquired to play the sport — and play the sport the precise means. We will’t hit for them. We will’t catch the balls for them. We will’t pitch for them. We will’t throw strikes for them. They acquired to try this.”
A day later, when requested about his feedback and pressed additional who he was referencing if not his gamers, he replied:
“Was by no means about them, proper? I by no means talked about something about gamers, proper? I recognize these gamers. I performed. I perceive how arduous this recreation is. They know that. So it’s a troublesome recreation. These guys are on the market making an attempt arduous. We acquired to do the little issues. As I talked about, we begin doing little issues, we’ll begin successful a few of these video games.”
Actually, Martinez is in an unenviable spot. His staff is mired in its worst shedding streak since dropping a dozen straight video games again in 2008, underneath a special supervisor, teaching workers and entrance workplace. Balancing the will to voice help for his teaching workers whereas rallying his gamers and holding everybody accountable for the staff’s struggles — all whereas going through mounting hypothesis about your individual job safety — is a troublesome process.
On the identical time, it’s comprehensible if some gamers had been irked — not essentially even by being referred to as out however by Martinez’s obvious unwillingness to take possession of these feedback simply 24 hours later. The longtime Nats skipper, who gained a World Sequence there in 2019, made clear Sunday that he’d “talked to quite a lot of [his players]” already and recommended there have been no points. Golden’s subsequent reporting, which cited “a number of” nameless sources accustomed to the state of affairs, suggests in any other case. It’s attainable — if unlikely — that the set of feedback hit totally different gamers in another way. Some doubtless had a better time shrugging issues off than others.
There’s been loads of hypothesis about Martinez, who’s reportedly within the remaining assured 12 months of his contract (though the Nats maintain a 2026 choice over him as nicely). Rizzo famous that if given the prospect to do it once more, Martinez “would have gotten his level throughout — which was ’help the coaches’ — in a smoother or higher means that didn’t ruffle the feathers of the fan base.”
Nevertheless, the GM opined that the story took on extra life amongst followers and the media than within the clubhouse itself. Rizzo acknowledged that he doesn’t “see any unrest or unhappiness” amongst his gamers and added that Martinez talked issues over with the gamers following his feedback. Extra broadly, he gave Martinez a relatively resounding vote of confidence.
“Dave Martinez is as player-friendly a supervisor as I’ve ever had. He and Dusty Baker, to me, run the clubhouse like nobody else I’ve ever had in my profession. … This man does 500, 600 interviews a 12 months; he does two a day — pre-game, post-game, each time. He acquired caught in a irritating, offended second and type of lashed out. I believe it was out of frustration. Right here’s my tackle that state of affairs. There’s onus on the gamers. There’s onus on the coaches. There’s onus on the supervisor, and there’s a nice onus on the overall supervisor to do a greater job.
“…To me, Davey is similar supervisor within the clubhouse when there’s no cameras and there’s no media within the room. He’s the identical man he was in that Marlins collection [this weekend] as he was on Oct. 30, 2019. Identical man.”
It’s clear based mostly on Rizzo’s feedback right now that the Nationals’ 2019 World Sequence victory carries loads of weight in his regard for Martinez — understandably so. The GM famous that on the time of Washington’s 19-31 begin in 2019, there have been additionally requires Martinez’s job. Whereas acknowledging and empathizing with the frustration the fan base feels, he careworn that it’s his job to take a “huge image” look and take note the “entirety of a season” that also has greater than three months remaining.
“My job because the chief of the group is that when issues are at their craziest and most nerve-racking, I’ve to be at my calmest and my greatest,” mentioned Rizzo. “When issues are at their worst, I’ve to be at my greatest. That’s my message that I gave to our teaching workers the opposite day.”
Rizzo repeatedly dismissed the notion that there was strain from possession to make personnel modifications within the entrance workplace or dugout. He spoke at size in regards to the variations between the 2019 Nats — a veteran-laden staff that engineered one of the exceptional turnarounds in latest MLB historical past — and the 2025 Nats, a younger staff the place the common degree of main league service time per participant isn’t even three years. By all of it, he maintained confidence in his skipper and continued to position blame again on himself.
“[Martinez] has confirmed by trials and tribulations that he can deal with a roster. He can deal with a veteran-laden staff, and now he’s creating on the huge league degree. My observe document is, I’ve fired managers midseason, I’ve fired managers after the season, I’ve fired coaches midseason, I’ve fired coaches after the season. We’re all being evaluated. We’ve all acquired to look ourselves within the mirror. We’re at a degree proper now the place we’re shifting ahead the event of those younger children. I believe Davey nonetheless has the heart beat of the clubhouse. He’s an excellent clubhouse presence. He’s a chilled clubhouse presence.
I’m accountable with all the things that goes on, the great and the unhealthy, the 10-game shedding streak — that’s my staff that I put on the market. I take accountability for the successes and the failures of this franchise, and I believe that’s what leaders do.”
Turning to extra particular points with the roster, Rizzo was requested about catcher Keibert Ruiz’s declining defensive grades since signing his eight-year, $50MM contract extension. The GM made no secret that he feels his catcher “must get again to the place he was,” plainly opining that Ruiz “was a greater catcher, thrower and blocker” earlier in his profession. Rizzo referred to as catcher a “beatdown place” that takes a bodily toll on any participant and recommended that Ruiz is feeling a few of these results.
Defensive metrics bear that out. Ruiz, 27 subsequent month, drew sturdy defensive marks from scouts as a prospect and posted high quality numbers early on within the majors. In 2022, his first full season within the majors, the previous prime prospect posted a 28.2% caught-stealing charge that checked in 4 proportion factors higher than common and drew optimistic blocking grades from Statcast. His framing drew below-average however not egregiously poor marks. For a then-23-year-old catcher who’d slashed .255/.315/.373 (94 wRC+) in his profession — all at a time when most younger catchers are nonetheless within the minors — it was a pleasant begin.
Issues have subsequently deteriorated, with Ruiz hitting .241/.286/.374 since. He confirmed extra energy in 2023-24, however in 2025 Ruiz has simply two homers, a .252/.286/.322 batting line (71 wRC+) and dramatically worse defensive grades. Courting again to Opening Day 2023, Ruiz has -18 Defensive Runs Saved and a -36 Fielding Run Worth from Statcast. He led the league in stolen bases allowed in 2023 and is doing so once more in 2025 — though he additionally leads the NL in complete runners thrown out this 12 months (partially as a result of groups appear so keen to run on him). Rizzo expressed optimism that an offensive turnaround was nigh, pointing to the truth that Ruiz has sometimes been a a lot better performer within the season’s second half.
Once more, knowledge bears that out, nevertheless it’ll be fascinating to see how the group’s valuation of Ruiz modifications if his struggles on the plate proceed — significantly along with his defensive regression. He’s nonetheless signed by 2030, however not at such a major annual charge that they’ll’t make a change in the event that they really feel such a transfer is warranted.
On younger righty Cade Cavalli, who’s pitching in Triple-A and has accomplished his rehab from 2023 Tommy John surgical procedure, Rizzo recommended the aim is to get the previous prime prospect to the purpose the place he can constantly contribute 5 or 6 innings at a time within the majors. The 26-year-old boasts a 2.30 ERA and 28.3% strikeout charge over his previous six begins however has thrown simply 27 1/3 innings in that point (lower than 4 2/3 innings per outing). Presumably, Cavalli will get a glance again within the majors later this summer season, however after he pitched simply 8 1/3 innings complete in 2023-24, the Nats appear to be treading frivolously. Cavalli tossed 79 pitches in his most up-to-date begin, and that represents his most in any recreation this 12 months.
