Both Rizzo and Martinez have their contracts expiring at the end of the season, just eight weeks from now as the current standings hold. Pretty easy to guess that Rizzo is holding out for a big raise, after putting together a World Series winner and a team that has made the playoffs more often than not over the past eight years. Although if I'm Mark Lerner I'm thinking that the sky high payroll has played a big part in Rizzo's success. Martinez's agent is also certainly looking for a payday but Davey's record is more mixed. The WS win speaks for itself but the team flopped in 2018 and did not show up ready to play this year.

Every team in MLB is dealing with unique adverse circumstances this season but the Nats appear to be struggling to adjust more than most. Watching the games it seems as though the prevailing thought is that we are the returning WS champs so this shortened season doesn't matter. Hardly the mindset I'd want my ownership group to see as they determine how much they are willing to offer as an extension. Here are some ugly stats from Matt Weyrich:

Nationals’ offensive ranks among the 29 MLB teams with 10+ games played:

Runs - Last
Home runs - Last
Hits - 27th
Walks - Last
OBP - 25th
SLG - 20th
OPS - 21st
fWAR - Last

I checked fielding and pitching stats and the Nats are right at the bottom for fielding percent and in the bottom half for OBA and WHIP while in the middle of the pack for ERA.

The good news is that with eight of 15 NL teams making the playoffs this year it won't take but a little improvement to qualify.

there will be a fan revolt if davey and rizzo leave, and im sure the lerners know that. and so do davey and rizzo. the lerners style is to wait things out. hope they avoid Leonsis' gaffe and dont insult either of them with shitty offers.

Rizzo yes, Martinez no, some fans would be upset but they wouldn't lose fans over it.

The devil known is better than the devil unknown and all that. If they dedicate to having one of the top payrolls every year in baseball, than dont go cheap on a manager and GM with proven track records.

If the Nats see some inside fastballs tonight it could be some blowback from Martinez giving Cabrera a piggy back ride after his second HR. A team that just got crushed doesn't have to look very hard for motivation to be pissed and the Nats have been leading the league in HR routines. Probably inevitable that someones going to throw at them. In a season when brawls are banned what the hell, lets see the benches clear.

the guy had a heart attack last year and he's talked about his worries about being especially vulnerable to covid if he catches it...what the hell is he thinking doing that ?

Hopefully Martinez is like my Dad, heart issues were a wake up call, but they got him on the right meds and diet and 12 years later his heart issues are under control.

In lieu of your User Name, I dont know if you know this, but The Greaseman did hysterical bits on the radio about powerboaters versus sailboaters. It was one of his classic bits. Needless to say, The Greasman was not a fan of sailboats or their owners.

Before the Nats came to town and before I had kids I spent most of my summers on my boat, but I sold it years ago. The name was definitely inspired by the Greaseman bit.

Distinctly remember a portion of this one classic bit he did:

"Sailboater: Oh dear, what a repressed, disciminated class of people they are.....Powerboater: everybody oughtta own one!".

Dave Martinez is now tied with Frank Robinson and Jim Riggleman for third in Nats history in total losses by a manager at 172, Davey Johnson is second at 183, they are way behind Manny Acta at 252.

Rizzo extended for three more years. On the same day that he recalled Kieboom just one day earlier than needed to squeeze and extra year of service time. Questionable move. On the bright side, Difo has been DFA'd.

Boswell pointed out that every single person in the scouting dept was hired by him, and prob would have followed him out the door if he left. Another reason this is a good move.

Can't believe that rizzo got thrown out of a game...... Umpires should realize that they control the field not the fans and executives....

Joe West is a terrible ump and made one of the worst strike calls in a season of bad calls, but arguing balls and strikes is an automatic ejection.

Dugouts chirp at HP umps every game, so I was surprised they tossed him. Who knows, maybe Rizzo had been barking at them for innings.

espn.com excerpt (i'm likin this joe west guy) :

"I wouldn't take that from a player. I wouldn't take that from a manager," West told The Associated Press. "If it was Donald Trump, I'd eject him, too. But I'd still vote for him."

I watched it back a couple times, right before the ejection both Thames and the Braves mascot were on camera and at the same time snapped their heads around to look up in the stands behind third base, so there was something definitely said loud enough to be heard on the field. I don't blame Rizzo for complaining but I also understand that the umps aren't going to take shit that by rule they don't have to take.

Apparently the umps previously warned Rizzo about this because he had been chirping alot earlier in the series too

Q: Rizzo signing and the clubhouse
As a Nats fan, I'm thrilled that the Lerners have re-signed Mike Rizzo, but I'm curious: What effect did the long wait to get this done (or to publicly pronounce that it was a priority) have not only on the front office but on the clubhouse? Was this important to players or was it not high on their radar screens? Thanks for these chats!

A: Thomas Boswell
I'm certain that the LONG delay distracted the whole organization, including players. This was at least six months overdue. It was a huge topic of conversation throughout the season, even in spring training.

The Nats are a smart veteran team and, in many cases, a big part of why they are so comfortable in DC --either coming here or wanting to stay-- is their sense that nobody in MLB runs a better organization, top to bottom, than Rizzo. Are a few others also exceptional? Absolutely. But is he an "A" --yes. And I've heard that one-on-one from Harper and Rendon, even though they left, who were effusive about his impact on their careers, as well as Max, Stras, Zim, Werth, LaRoche and EVERY team leader during the '12-'19 period. This has been Rizo's Team --and there has been enormous confidence that, within season or season-to-season, Rizzo could fix problems. Even a Papelbon-Harper fight, or losing Harper. Whatever --just give Mike time and the resources and "we'll be a 92-to-98 win team again soon."

I think you'll see the Nats --even though their 3-4-5 hittrs on Sunday behind Max were Brock Holt, Suzuki and Josh Harrison-- play better baseball now that Rizzo is extended and Martinez is certain to be here through '22 (imo) at least and, if Rizzo has the last word, maybe through '23, too. I'd tear up Martinez option deal for $1.2-M for '21 and give hima two-year contract, at market price for a very good manager, for '21-'22. I'd guess his market price is $3-to-$4M a year. But I'm not good on manager contracts. Don't pay as much attention to them as I might. A VERY good deal --like one Girardi got a few years ago ('14-'7) with the Yanks was a four-year extension for $16M total.

I'd say that the Lerners were among the Nats Most Valuable Palyers in '19 --especially with the Corbin deal and several years of payrolls at or near the lux tax. I'd say bthat they have been among the Nats Least Valuable Players --along with the SP-- for causing so much absolutely unnecessary worry and distraction about whether they would blow up the organization by somehow losing Rizzo --and all the people who would have followed him in the next 1-2-3 years to wherever he ended up.

The Nats have manageable needs to get back up to 90+ win level --with (as we say every year) normal health.

They need One Starting Pitcher (4th starter --which isn't hard to get) and One Impact Hitter (who can bat 5th, that'll be a fairly costly but not mega-FA). Other than that, the usual 3-or-4 bits and pieces.

Rizzo can probably do that with his eyes closed. And a three-year extension gives potential future Nats confidence that he'll be around for a while.

BTW: Can I hear Three Cheers for "Deferred Money in Free Agent Contracts!" Whule I'm kicking the Lerner shins for one thing, lets note how well --in these financially uncertain pandemic times-- it's worked out to have half of Scherzer's $30M in '21 deferred into the future. Also, at least 25% of Strasburg's $245M deal is deferred. That is going to help in '21-'22 when a lot of teams are going to look at their payrolls and have a heart attack because, even if they think the industry will return to health eventually, what about the near-term and even mid-term? When do big crowds come back? And how big will they be? 85% or 95% of the old crowds? Saying "00%, or 105% because of 'pent-up-demand' is very optimistic.

The mega deals of recent year, with no money deferred is going to weigh heavy on some teams. Patrick Corbin's $140 deal has been described by some as "insanely backloaded." That's probably exaggerated. But his annual salary progrssion, starting with '19 has ben reported as: $15M, $19M, $24M, $23M, $24M and $34M in '24 with NO interest on any deferred money.

Every $10M or $20M helps when you're trying to build a roster. That "deferred money" may end up paying for the one more Big Bat that you need for '21 --as long as that free agent will also accept a chunk of deferred money.

This is SOP for the Lerners. In the past, it has sometimes looked short-sighted, conservative. But in economic hard times "you don't find out who's swimming naked until the tide goes out." With deferred money the Nats have at least tried to keep their trunks on in an industry where Boras and others are always trying to pants you.

— SEP 08, 2020 12:42 PM

Sorry, pro athletes are paid to be professionals, and they get the fact that they are in a 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow' business. That goes for the players AND for GM's. Dont get me wrong, Im glad the Nats players like/respect Rizzo. But Boswell's trying to pin the failures of this season (even in part) on the status of the GM, which is hokey imo. He claims the Nats will play better now that Rizzo is signed? Not buying it.

I agree with that, they want stability in management but I can't believe they care about the GM's contract status.

If the Nats hang on for the win tonight Martinez will be tied for second with Baker for total wins as the Nats manager at 192. It will have taken Davey an extra 43 games but he did have a little more post season success. Johnson has 224.

Two outs nobody one with a three run lead in the ninth, three hits and two walks later it's tied. I was ready to turn off the TV for the night. Well maybe we'll walk them off.

That didnt work out too well.

No chance that the Nats don't pick up Martinez's contract option for 2021 but I'm hoping that they hold off on extending him beyond next season. He has the World Series, but he also has consecutive 19-31 starts and with a top five payroll he has missed the playoffs two years out of three. He took over a team that had won 95+ games the prior two years and he has not won the division and has a winning percentage of .519 (Williams was .552 and Johnson was .550). I say that the WS buys him one more season, playoffs or he's out.

19-31. Give us four more months!

Dont yet wanna think about writing off a manager who just won me a World Series 11 mos ago. 2018 is written off (rookie manager). The huge pile of injuries and opt outs this season arent on Martinez, obviously. And he did not have a Top 5 payroll to work with this season -- #11 in MLB, and only 3rd in the NL East. Nats are about $10 mill less than the Phillies & Mets, and only $4 mill ahead of Braves.

At some point, Rizzo and Davey need to assess why every returning player who was healthy regressed this season (with exception of Soto, Turner, Rainey, the catchers, and couple others I'm too lazy too look up).

Well that's why I said to pick up his option, I just don't want him extended beyond his current contract unless the team returns to the playoffs in 2021. A big part of the issue this year was the decision to try to make another run with largely the same roster, but with their age a rebuild was coming.

COTS has the Nats at seventh in the MLB in payroll, I misremembered, thinking that they were in the top five. I think that I had assumed that the team was going to add payroll during spring training, but then Covid hit.

Reports are that Martinez has been extended beyond next season, with NL details yet. Bad move in my opinion, why extend him with one year on his contract? I would have fired him at 19-31 last year so what do I know? But I'm pessimistic about a manager who's teams have started off slow to terrible all three years he's been here.

3 years $7.5 mill