Mike DeBartolo cannot be handed the Washington Nationals GM job

The Washington Nationals need to have an extensive search for their next GM, not just hand it to the interim

It is clear that Mike DeBartolo is a very different man from Mike Rizzo, his predecessor and the man he had worked under for over a decade. He has a different background, and from his first press conference, it is clear he has a different way of looking at baseball.

His focus on analytics has already endeared himself to fans and local reporters alike. I have to admit, I was very impressed when I heard DeBartolo talk yesterday. The Columbia graduate is very clearly a smart guy and I could see him succeeding if given the chance.

However, the Lerner family better not just hand him the job. There needs to be a nation wide search to find the best and brightest minds from across Major League Baseball. The Lerner family needs to bring in many candidates who can provide unique insights. We put out a list of a few potential candidates and those guys all should at least be contacted.

The Internal vs External Path:

That is not to say they have to hire someone outside the organization, though that would be my preference. After all, for as smart as DeBartolo is, he was around during the malaise of the 2020’s.

That is not to say DeBartolo cannot succeed. There is actually a pretty recent example of a team who won a World Series before entering a malaise in the Kansas City Royals. After firing Dayton Moore, the architect of their championship, they decided to stay in house, hiring J.J. Picollo. Since becoming GM prior to the 2022 season, Picollo has done a solid job modernizing the Royals organization and he led them to a playoff appearance last year.

Like DeBartolo, Picollo was the analytics guy in an organization that was not analytically inclined before he took over. Since he has become GM, the Royals have done some impressive things, especially on the pitching development side. Guys like Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic have really taken off since Picollo has arrived. I think DeBartolo could be that kind of GM for the Nats.

However, on the flip side we can look at the Tigers. We took a deep dive into the Tigers rebuild and how it got resuscitated by new GM Scott Harris. The Tigers needed an innovative mind to pull themselves out of their extended struggles. Harris has provided them with that. His improvements to the player development has turned guys who were struggling under the previous regime and made them big time contributors.

You can win in different ways. Hiring the internal guy is not necessarily a bad thing. DeBartolo seems very different from Rizzo and could be a good candidate. He absolutely should be interviewed, but as one of many names interviewing for the job.

Cast a Wide Net:

There is no one right way to go about this, but there are wrong ways to go. Hiring DeBartolo without doing a serious search would be a bad move. It would be another example of the Lerner family not being all in and just doing the thing that let’s them do the least amount of work.

There needs to be a big search. The beauty of a search is that you can learn things from people even if you hire them. Clearly the Nationals need to modernize. When asked if the Nats needed to modernize, DeBartolo pretty much said yes without saying yes.

Getting all of these bright minds in the room would give the Lerner’s great insights. They really do not know anything other than the Mike Rizzo way. Rizzo has been the Lerner’s guy for nearly 2 decades.

Mike Rizzo is a Nationals legend, but given recent history, it is clear that the Nationals organization need an infusion of new ideas. Talking to some of the smartest voices from around the league would teach the Lerner’s so much.

Guys like the ones we listed as potential candidates will probably be talking about the importance of analytics and discussing what kinds of technology the Lerner’s need to spend on. It is important that the Lerner family hears these kinds of things from people outside the organization.

I would also prefer an outside candidate because it would be a fresh start. We will always appreciate the Rizzo era, but it is over now. Despite being so different, DeBartolo has worked for Rizzo for a decade plus. I would love for the Nationals to have a new set of eyes from outside the organization take a look at the situation here and act accordingly.

If the Lerner family conducts a serious search and decides Mike DeBartolo is the best guy, the fans will accept that. However, if they just hand DeBartolo the job, it will be a tougher sell. It would be yet another example of the Lerner family being lazy and taking the easy way out.

I am fascinated to see how this GM hunt goes. It is something I have never experienced as a fan before because Mike Rizzo has been around for so long. However, we are going to get one now. Hopefully it is an exhaustive search where the Lerner’s go far and wide to find the best candidate.