One day after firing manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo, the Washington Nationals are filling in the sudden openings. The team announced Monday that bench coach Miguel Cairo will be promoted to interim manager for the remainder of the season.
Cairo, a former MLB infielder from 1996-2012, has been a bench coach in Washington for the past two seasons. Cairo will serve alongside Mike DeBartolo, who was named as the Nationals’ interim GM in conjunction with the firing.
Martinez and Rizzo were fired shortly after Washington’s 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, which put them at 37-53 on the season — one of the worst records in MLB. However, the move also came a week before the MLB Draft, where the Nationals hold the No. 1 overall pick.
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In a statement, Nationals owner Mark Lerner said that the team wanted a “fresh approach” moving forward. “While we are appreciative of their past success, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be,” he wrote.
Martinez, who was in his eighth season managing the team, led Washington to its first and only World Series title in 2019. Rizzo has been Washington’s GM since 2009. Both were in the final year of their contracts prior to being fired.
Rizzo wrote to the Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga, saying that he’s not taking the firing too hard — and potentially taking a bit of a shot at Washington’s ownership.
“The sun will come up tomorrow,” Rizzo wrote to Svrluga. “That’s the job. I had a great run. Navigated that ownership group for almost 20 years.”
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Now, the Nationals will turn to DeBartolo and Cairo to steer the team through the rest of the season, including the draft. Notably, this will be Cairo’s second time as an interim manager in his short coaching career: In 2022, Cairo served as acting manager for the Chicago White Sox while Tony La Russa dealt with health issues that eventually led to his retirement.
As a player, Cairo spent time with 10 different organizations throughout his 16-year career, finishing his playing career with the Cincinnati Reds.
Cairo will have his first test on Tuesday, as the Nationals travel to play a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Washington will then have one more series, against the Milwaukee Brewers, before the All-Star break.
