WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the club he led to the 2019 World Series championship, according to a person familiar with the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because nothing has been announced.
The Nationals are 57-68 and last in the NL East heading into a series opener at the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.
The Athletic was the first to report that Martinez has a new deal and said general manager Mike Rizzo is close to one amid talks on an extension.
The contracts for both the skipper and the GM are due to expire at the close of this season, part of a lot of uncertainty around a team that is in the middle of a rebuilding effort on the field and has been for sale off it.
Martinez's record with Washington entering Tuesday is 378-455, a .454 winning percentage.
The former major league player took over as the manager of the Nationals in 2018, his first job leading a team. The next year, Washington got off to a 19-31 start before stars such as Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner helped surge to a NL wild-card berth. The Nationals eventually defeated the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the World Series for the franchise’s first title.
The going has been a little rougher since then, to say the least.
Washington has finished with a losing record and at the bottom of the NL East every year. Even with a recent hot streak, the club was 57-68 and in last place heading into Tuesday.
That is a result of Rizzo’s attempt to revamp the roster, a work-in-progress that began in earnest with a swap that shipped Scherzer and Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2021 trade deadline and netted two key building blocks in return: 2023 All-Star pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz.
There was more, including sending Soto to the San Diego Padres for a package that included current starting shortstop CJ Abrams.
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