A strong start to the 2016 season has bought Mike Rizzo extra job security, as the Washington Nationals exercised their general manager’s contract option Saturday, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
Per Ladson, Rizzo’s option, which will keep him with the Nationals through 2018, had to be picked up by June 15.
Nationals managing principal owner Ted Lerner expressed his enthusiasm for Rizzo’s work during his tenure with the franchise, per Ladson: “He and the baseball operations team have worked tirelessly to help build this organization into one of Major League Baseball’s elite clubs. We are fortunate to have him.”
Rizzo expressed his gratitude for the chance to continue working for the franchise he’s been with since 2006.
“I am honored by the Lerner family’s continued faith and confidence in me and am thrilled to be remaining with the Washington Nationals organization,” he said. “While I am proud of the work we have accomplished, we still must achieve the ultimate goal of bringing a World Series championship back to Washington.”
The Nationals hired Rizzo as their general manager in 2009 after he had served as an assistant general manager under Jim Bowden for two seasons.
Under Rizzo’s leadership, the Nationals have become one of the premier franchises in Major League Baseball. They have won two National League East titles since 2012 and haven’t finished under .500 since 2011.
Some of the key deals in the Rizzo era include acquiring Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics, signing Max Scherzer as a free agent and getting Stephen Strasburg—a Scott Boras client—to sign a long-term extension before hitting free agency.
Not all of Rizzo’s moves have paid off—Jayson Werth is still under contract through 2017—but he’s put the franchise in position to compete for a playoff spot each year. He’s led the turnaround in Washington and has earned the right to see it through to what everyone with the team hopes will be a World Series title.
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