Bill Ladson reports today that
The Nationals decided on Wednesday that their general manager’s position will remain vacant for the foreseeable future.
Team president Stan Kasten will remain the person in charge, but assistant GM Mike Rizzo will have principle responsibilities when it comes to the Major League, Minor League and scouting operations. All team matters or inquiries will be directed to Rizzo with Kasten working closely with him.
“The owners have confidence in Mike in getting the job done on the duties relating to the Major League team,” Kasten said. “Together, he and I will handle that for now.”
The Nationals will continue to search for a GM, but they believe they are in good hands with Rizzo.
Bob Boone will continue to be an assistant GM, while Dan (sic) Brown will remain the scouting director.
So, Rizzo is the interim GM without actually receiving that official title (as yet).
I have mixed feelings on this.
I am glad they made a decision and will have some degree of continuity entering the 2009 season. Kasten can turn over the day-to-day baseball operations (majors, minors, & scouting) to Rizzo as the Nationals enter a very critical timeframe, two draft picks among the first ten and the rebuilding efforts in Latin America. They can take their time to consider all potential GM candidates (to include Rizzo who gets to actively audition).
But part of me has some concern that given the criticality of this season. If Rizzo were not to be the ultimate choice for full-time GM, there exists the possibility that the Nationals could once agin be hitting the reset button and the new GM could very well have ideas that do not mesh with what is to happen in 2009.
The only additional thing I hope to see in the immediate future is whether Rizzo is permitted to make some changes to the staff. At the very least, bringing someone on board he respects and trusts to assist him in this huge undertaking.
#1 by Berndaddy - March 4th, 2009 at 10:08
Man, I love Kasten enthusiasm and how he’s taken charge of things, but I don’t think he has a clue about how to spin things. He’s a poor PR man. I hope he hires someone who gets that part of the job.
#2 by Bob L. Head - March 4th, 2009 at 11:01
I see this as a decision to let Rizzo take us through the draft and then see where things stand at midseason. That’s not a terrible move in my view. It provides continuity for the moment, and lets the team evaluate Rizzo as the front-line guy, without saddling him with the “interim” title that might cause him to leave if he ultimately was not selected as the next GM. It’s not like the pool of attractive GM candidates will shrink appreciably by midseason, or even by the end of the season. Let’s wait and see what we have, on the field, in the minors, via the draft, and in the front office, by July, or even October. Then we can select the right guy for whatever the job appears to require at that point.
#3 by Brian Oliver - March 4th, 2009 at 11:05
Trust me, I’m much more positive on this than negative. I think Rizzo and Dana Brown are highly qualified to operate the 2009 draft.
#4 by Pilchard - March 4th, 2009 at 11:24
This was the right move IMO. At this point in the year, the Nats would not have access to all the top GM candidates, and even if they were able to land their first choice (very unlikely right now), he would not be able to put the people in place that he would want around him right now.
IIRC, Rizzo has essentially been the point man on the draft for the Nats anyway, and preparing for the draft and signing the 2009 draft picks is the biggest player development task between now and the end of the season (especially given the fact that the Nats are hamstrung in the DR right now). Would expect the Nats to conduct an extensive search at the end of the season, with Rizzo being given the opportunity to show his stuff over the next 7 months.
#5 by Ted Leavengood - March 4th, 2009 at 12:53
I am not certain why anyone would avoid the job of rebuilding this team. Any aspiring GM would see this as a great opportunity. The Nationals cannot be any worse than last year so expectations are low. Unless there is an unwritten rule about an assistant GM like LaCava taking a job in mid-season, I don’t see why the job search goes on that long. This is a very important decision for the Nationals and they should weigh the options carefully, but they might have someone working alongside Rizzo by May–as either Assistant to Rizzo as GM, or as Rizzo’s boss. Why would it take more than six weeks to interview and make a decision? Selig gave the go ahead for expedited hiring I thought, or did I read that wrong.
#6 by Pilchard - March 4th, 2009 at 13:24
Ted,
Here is the explanation in today’s Post explaining why it is unlikely that the Nats would go out and hire a GM from another club at this point:
“If Kasten has expediency in mind, elevating Rizzo makes sense. Hiring in-house would exempt the Nationals from having to follow the Major League Baseball rule requiring an interview process that involves minority candidates. On top of that, it’s a strange time to hire a general manager. Those positions normally become open in the weeks after the season, when baseball’s personnel can more easily switch organizations — and can more easily bring their own people with them. “
The time just is not ripe to conduct a thorough GM search and go through an extensive interview process while the Nats and other organizations need to take care of day to day tasks required to operate a big-league team during the season.
#7 by Ted Leavengood - March 4th, 2009 at 13:53
Maybe it was during the heavy Tony LaCava rumor period, but somewhere there was a post that said the Kasten had asked for and been given permission from Selig to dispense with the minority hiring requirments precisely because of the circumstances of Bowden “resigning.” So, if that is the case, if Bowden resigning rather than being fired allows them to expedite the process and they have that permission, then what prevents them from trying to take advantage of the situation to bring someone on board relatively quickly?
While I have all the respect in the world for the Post writers and understand they have more info than I, still, the article seemed more speculative than based on concrete information. I am skeptical that the Nationals can afford to go through the course of the entire season with Kasten and Rizzo serving as GM. Even if they move Rizzo in, they have personnel shortfalls despite Kasten’s statements that they have all the personnel they need.
I know that Kasten is a good guy and more than capable of doing the job. But other articles have Schuerholz and others recommending folks like John Hart and others to Kasten, so it hardly sounds as though knowledgable baseball minds believe this cannot be done at this time. That said, a minority GM would work well in this town, but I have not seen any African-American candidates mentioned. Who fills that bill?
#8 by Brian Oliver - March 4th, 2009 at 13:58
There are quite a few highly qualified options who are minorities: Kim Ng, Al Avila, and Tony Bernazard to name a few
#9 by Wally - March 4th, 2009 at 15:08
Brian - Ladson was the only one that said that Brown and Boone will report to Rizzo. Have you confirmed that from another source, or will they report to Kasten?
#10 by Anonymous - March 4th, 2009 at 15:21
Maybe it was during the heavy Tony LaCava rumor period, but somewhere there was a post that said the Kasten had asked for and been given permission from Selig to dispense with the minority hiring requirments precisely because of the circumstances of Bowden “resigning.”
After this story of Kasten supposedly calling MLB to ask for this exemption from the rules was floated by bloggers citing their “anonymous sources within the industry”, Chico Harlan of the Washington Post called the MLB offices and was told that Kasten had never called them about anything of the sort. Likewise, all rumors of the Nats asking the Blue Jays for permission to talk with LaCava have been debunked. The entire LaCava thing was one big rumor, a total non-story.
#11 by Sue Dinem - March 4th, 2009 at 15:30
Thank you, Anonymous - you beat me to the punch. Quite frankly, this never passed the sniff test: (A) Kasten would never ask for a waiver (B) Bud Selig would never grant it; This is DC, 2009, not Boston, 1989.
#12 by natsfan1a - March 4th, 2009 at 15:54
The rumor was also debunked by the Times. It has been perpetuated only by bloggers and “anonymous sources.”
#13 by Pilchard - March 4th, 2009 at 16:25
Not trying to hijack this thread, but Jordan Zimmerman made an emphatic statement today in his start against the Mets: 3 perfect innings 3 Ks. He has not been scored on in his 2 outings this Spring.
#14 by Mark L - March 4th, 2009 at 19:17
Pilchard — not to worry, that’s what’s called a very positive hijacking.
#15 by Jeff E. - March 5th, 2009 at 00:23
Should be interesting to see who fills the seat whether a fellow who toiled in Montreal in years prios or whether as Brian pipes that Rizzo could bring in someone - say a pal from Arizona or Chisox days- time will tell……
#16 by Brian H. - March 5th, 2009 at 19:56
Rizzo is a good placeholder, and I don’t see what else they could have done given the timing. Rizzo certainly can evaluate the talent and get them through the June draft. HOWEVER, being the new kid on the block, I worry how empowered he is going to feel about making the important trade and FA moves that need to happen in the coming weeks and months??? Examples: (1) We really need some Bullpen help (and were rumored to be looking into some options). (2) The good opportunity to trade away some OF depth in return for a MLB-level 2B, or RP help, or even draft picks… (3) Depending on how things progress, as with prior seasons, we may need to sign an available veteran SP by the end of March. I’m looking for him to make some March deals at least on the Relief Pitcher(s) front.
-Brian H.
#17 by Egrib - March 8th, 2009 at 07:12
They should name Rizzo as the GM right now and be done with it. It’s not exactly a vote of confidence to have him serving as a placeholder. Kasten is an idiot for doing it this way.