The Washington Nationals have their new manager.
The team announced Monday morning that Dave Martinez will be taking over in the dugout next season. He receives a three-year contract with an option for a fourth to become the seventh full-time manager in team history, and sixth since 2009.
“We are delighted to bring Dave aboard and excited about what he will bring to our clubhouse and our dugout,” Nationals owner Ted Lerner said in a statement. “We have been very clear about our goals as an organization and we feel confident we’ve found the right man to help us reach them.”
Martinez, 53, replaces Dusty Baker, who was not brought back after the Nationals were eliminated in the first round of the postseason for the fourth time in six seasons. Martinez will be introduced Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. The wait is a result of Major League Baseball’s edict to teams not to distract from the World Series with their own press conferences. Game 6 of the World Series is Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
The new manager will inherit an intact team. Its top four starters are set to return, as are seven of the eight fielders who started Game 5 of the National League Division Series, which the Nationals lost, 9-8, to Martinez’s former team, the Chicago Cubs.
Martinez was the bench coach for the Cubs, continuing his long relationship with Chicago manager Joe Maddon. The two worked together for a decade between Tampa Bay and Chicago. The Cubs won the World Series in 2016.
“I am excited to bring Dave into our family,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. “As we went through this process it became clear the type of manager we were looking for – someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players, and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game. We came away from the process feeling like there was absolutely no one better suited – who matched up to what this organization needs right now – than Dave.”
It’s notable that Rizzo included the terms “progressive” and “analytical” in his statement lauding Martinez. Those are terms not generally associated with the man he is replacing, the 68-year-old Baker. Though Baker had adapted from the tactics that populated his earlier managerial days — and, it should be pointed out, also had the most wins of any active manager last season — he would not be lumped in with the current era of more stat-driven and open-process managers.
What’s interesting is that the Nationals touted hiring an “analytical” manager who has no tangible body of work. Martinez has not managed a team on any level, so there is no example of decision-making to assess. His hiring comes as a result of belief in other people’s opinions, plus the in-house interview process.
Martinez will be walking into a clubhouse filled with veteran players. Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy and Max Scherzer are clear voices among a roster already structured for success. There is one wrinkle in the clubhouse: Bryce Harper, who will be playing for his fourth manager in what will be his seventh season, is entering the final season of his contract. As soon as Martinez is hired, that story will follow the Nationals through the winter and into the fall of 2018.
Martinez will also be working in an environment where winning division titles is not deemed enough success to retain a manager. Rizzo said upon the dismissal of Baker that the Nationals’ expectations have changed. That means Martinez, who has no previous experience as a manager but has extensive time in major-league baseball as a player then coach, has one mission in his new job.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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