- The Washington Times - Sunday, September 6, 2020

No one would have blamed Mike Rizzo for feeling relieved that his contract status was finally settled. The Nationals general manager routinely deflected concerns about his situation, but that didn’t change the reality that ownership went months without negotiating a new deal for the architect of their World Series-winning club — despite Rizzo’s contract set to expire at the end of the season.

But on Sunday, with a new three-year deal signed a day prior, Rizzo maintained he trusted his bosses to reward him. And they did. Rizzo said he was relaxed — not relieved — that the deal got done.

“Most importantly, it relaxes the people around me and below me,” Rizzo said. “That’s the most important thing. People run into a little bit of anxiety as it got closer to the end of the season. So it feels good for me personally, but professionally and as the leader of the franchise, it feels good for everybody around us.

“Now, we can take care of our business.”

That business includes another contract situation involving Manager Dave Martinez.

Washington can pick up an option for 2021 for Martinez at any time, but Rizzo said Sunday his preference to go far beyond that. Rizzo wants to lock the third-year skipper up long-term. Martinez told reporters Saturday that he hoped Rizzo’s situation would now allow talks to seriously begin. “Mine should be coming around the corner here soon,” he said.

The Nationals are currently in last place in the National League East, but Rizzo remains pleased with the overall body of work from Martinez, whose “Go 1-0” mentality helped lift the club to its first World Series last year.

“The priority one is to get Davey taken care of,” Rizzo said, later adding, “When you’re discussing a new contract, it’s different than just picking up an option. … My preference is just to disregard (the option) and sign a new contract with him.”

Rizzo said that when talks seriously began for his contract more than a week ago, negotiations didn’t take long. The general manager said he was glad to stay, noting Washington is the place where he has now worked the longest. Joining the franchise in 2006, Rizzo was promoted to general manager in 2009. He has overseen Washington’s rise, transforming the team into contenders.

But new challenges always arise and Rizzo is tasked with retooling the Nationals to help extend their championship window.

This season has not gone as planned for the Nationals. They have been hit hard with injuries, impacting the starting rotation and the infield — two areas that were supposed to be strengths. Ace Stephen Strasburg is done for the year after undergoing wrist surgery, while infielder Starlin Castro (broken wrist) is also out.

Problems all over the roster exist. The Nationals’ pitching staff hasn’t been the same, and Strasburg’s injury isn’t solely to blame. Washington’s starters carry a collective 5.75 ERA — third-worst in the majors — in part because of Anibal Sanchez’s regression and the lack of a reliable fifth starter. On offense, the team has lacked consistent hitting outside of Juan Soto and Trea Turner — who have become two of the best hitters in baseball.

Still, Rizzo said Washington hasn’t given up on this season. While the Nationals have pivoted to playing younger players like Carter Kieboom and Luis Garcia, Rizzo said they would “take our chances” at making the playoffs.

Entering Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Braves, Washington sat 4½ games back of the playoffs — this year’s field is expanded to eight teams per conference, giving the Nationals a better chance of making it.

FiveThirtyEight’s prediction model pegs Washington’s postseason chances at 8% with less than a month left until the 60-game regular season ends.

“In this (shortened) season, you have yourself a really good week, a week-and-a-half, and you’re right back into the thick of it,” he said. “We feel like we’ve got a run in us.”

Long term, Rizzo was optimistic about Washington’s future. He said Washington would be “hell to play” in 2021. “We’re going to have our big boys back on the mound,” he said, adding the Nationals would make other “tweaks” as well.

If Rizzo finishes out his new contract, he’ll be in his early 60s by the time it expires. At the point, he’ll have been with Washington for 15 seasons as general manager, heavily involved in the day-to-day operations.

Rizzo, though, said he has no intention for this contract to be his last. He pointed to his father, Phil, a former scout who served as an adviser all the way up until his death in February.

“My dad worked until he was 90 to the day he died,” Rizzo said. “So, I’m here for the long haul. As long as it feels good to me and I’m having fun doing it … I’d love to do this thing for the rest of my life.”

• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.

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