The Washington Nationals aren’t expected to be very good this coming season, and according to oddsmakers, that could mean trouble for manager Dave Martinez.
The Nationals skipper is the odds-on favorite to be the first coach fired as BetOnline lists him at 5/1. Those are the lowest odds in the league, with Pittsburgh’s Derek Shelton, Detroit’s A.J. Hinch and Cincinnati’s David Bell behind him.
Martinez, too, is in the last year of his contract, along with general manager Mike Rizzo. The Nationals, in the midst of a lengthy rebuild, have gone 120-204 over the last two seasons. Martinez holds a 321-387 record as five years as a manager.
Hired in 2018 to replace Dusty Baker, Martinez helped lead Washington to win its first-ever World Series a year later. That season, Washington famously overcame a 19-31 deficit and closed the season strong behind Martinez’s message to just go “1-0” each day.
Four years later, it might help Martinez a lot if the Nationals can go “1-0” a lot more often than they go “0-1.” That’s going to be easier said than done.
The Nationals season begins Thursday as they host the Atlanta Braves for the first of a three-game series.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.