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The Washington Nationals have named bench coach Miguel Cairo interim manager, one day after the team fired manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo.
This is Cairo's second season on staff in Washington, coming to DC from New York, where he was the Mets' Minor League infield coordinator. Before that, he spent two seasons as bench coach for the Chicago White Sox and managed the final 34 games of the 2022 season in place of Tony La Russa.
“Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball,” acting general manager Mike DeBartolo said in the team's announcement. “A diligent worker and student of the game, he has a proven track record of showing strong leadership in a variety of situations, and I believe that his voice and energy will serve as a catalyst to our team and our fan base in the second half of the season.”
Cairo is taking over a Nationals team that is 37-52, 16 games out of first place in the National League East. They went just 7-19 in June and have lost three in a row.
Nationals organization shakeup comes right before MLB Draft
The Nationals' decision to let Martinez and Rizzo go comes a week before the 2025 MLB Draft, in which Washington has the first overall pick.
The organization has some experience there, notably taking Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper No. 1 overall in the past. This year, there's no obvious can't-miss prospect to take first, so it's unclear if Washington's draft board just shook up.
“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” team owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champions. He played an instrumental role in leading the transformation of our farm system and building a roster that reached an unprecedented level of organizational success. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we're so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well. We wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
For now, that role falls to Cairo and DeBartolo. With the MLB trade deadline coming shortly after the draft, they're being thrown right into the fire.
