WASHINGTON ā Dave Martinez spoke Saturday about managing the Washington Nationals for āmany, many yearsā and over the ālong termā and āquite some time,ā thanks to his contract extension.
Sharing a table to a socially distanced degree with his manager on a video conference call to announce the new deal ā each man sporting his 2019 World Series ring on his right hand ā Nationals GM Mike Rizzo referred to the agreement's āmultiyearā nature, but repeatedly refused to reveal anything more specific in response to reporters' questions.
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āWe donāt talk about terms as far as years, length and salaries and that type of thing. Weāre comfortable with what we have and the consistency that weāre going to have down the road,ā said Rizzo, who recently agreed to a three-year extension of his own. āThatās all we want to say about terms, because itās private information and we donāt want you guys to know about it.ā
When Martinez initially was hired by Rizzo in October 2017 ā his first managing job at any level ā the Nationals' news release at the time announced that he was given a three-year contract with an option for a fourth year.
That 2021 option had not yet been picked up.
āThe partnership that Davey and I have together, our communication styles are very similar. Our aspirations are similar, and kind of our mindset of how to obtain the goals that we want to obtain are similar. I think itās a good match,ā Rizzo said. āWe couldnāt have hit on a more positive and enthusiastic leader in the clubhouse. I think you see it shine through even in the most trying times.ā
The Nationals entered Saturday ā Martinezās 56th birthday ā with a 23-34 record and in last place in the NL East, which Rizzo called āa disappointing season.ā The team's title defense was slowed by injuries and inconsistency during a 60-game season delayed and shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg threw just five innings because of a nerve issue in his pitching hand and players such as Starlin Castro, Sean Doolittle, Tanner Rainey, Adam Eaton and Carter Kieboom finished the year on the IL.
āThis year, for me, we didnāt get it done. We had a lot of bumps in the road this year. But I really, fully believe, weāve got the core guys here that we need to win another championship,ā Martinez said. "I know Mike, myself, weāre going to spend hours and hours and hours trying to fill the void with guys we think can potentially help us in the future. And weāll be back on the podium. Iām really confident about that.ā
Rizzo was asked Saturday why the team announces contract lengths for players, as is common practice around the major leagues, but wouldnāt do so in this instance for Martinez.
āThe reason is we donāt want anybody to know. Thatās the reason,ā Rizzo said, before asking the reporter: āHow much do you make? How many years do you have?ā
Moments later, as the back-and-forth continued, Rizzo said: āItās kind of an individual thing with certain people. I donāt want you to know what I make or how many years I have. Davey doesnāt want you to know. And I think that itās only fair ... when people donāt want certain information out there, that we donāt give it.ā
There were some calling for Martinez to lose his job last season when Washington got off to a 19-31 start. But Rizzo stood by his manager, and the team eventually turned things around, going 74-38 the rest of the way to reach the playoffs as an NL wild-card team.
The Nationals then beat the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals to reach the World Series, where they beat the Houston Astros in Game 7.
Washington joined the 1914 Boston Braves as the only teams in major league history to win a World Series after being 12 games below .500 during a season.
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