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The Washington Nationals fired manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo on Sunday. After a 37-53 record to start the season and with the first overall pick in the draft coming, Washington made changes. They made an immediate announcement on the interim general manager, with Mike DeBartolo taking over with less than ten days before the draft. But with no interim manager announced, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reported on candidates within the Nationals organization.
“The Nationals’ interim manager is likely to be promoted from within. Primary options include MLB bench coach Miguel Cairo and Triple-A manager Matthew LeCroy,” Morosi reported.
The Nationals hired Martinez before the 2018 season, leading them to an 82-win season in his first year. Then, he reached the mountaintop, winning the franchise's first World Series in 2019. Since then, they have not broken .500 in a season, let alone reach the postseason.
Miguel Cairo has been the Nationals' bench coach since November 2023. Although they have not done much winning in that time, the former infielder has a lot of experience. He served as the bench coach for the Chicago White Sox under Tony La Russa, an infield coordinator for the New York Yankees, and special advisor to the GM for the Cincinnati Reds.
Could the Nationals find a new manager in-house?
The second option Morosi posits for the Nationals' interim manager is Matthew LeCroy. He was hired by the Nationals in 2008 to manage in Class A. LeCroy then moved up the ladder slowly, becoming the AAA manager in December 2020. The former Major League catcher has made just one postseason appearance in five years with the Rochester Red Wings.
Those two options could not only become the interim manager of the Nationals, but also become the permanent bench boss. With a young team and some great prospects coming up, a fresh voice could be good for the team. Especially one like LeCroy, who has seen a lot of these players come through Rochester.
The Nationals are going to add another stud to their prospect pipeline in the coming days. They will pick first in the MLB Draft on July 14 and could land one of two stars. If they go the position player route, Ethan Holliday has been the top prospect all along. The high-school product is the son of Matt Holliday and the brother of Jackson. They could also pick LSU pitcher Kade Anderson, who threw a 130-pitch shutout in the College World Series.
