That’s what Gordon Edes is reporting, anyway:
Multiple sources insisted Tuesday that the Nationals are on the verge of announcing that Arizona Diamondbacks
vice president Jerry DiPoto is about to be named Nationals GM,
replacing [Mike] Rizzo, who has been interim GM since replacing Jim Bowden
earlier this season.
We all knew the Nats were looking, but it seemed like Rizzo was doing an OK job. He reportedly has a good relationship with Boras, which helped with the Strasburg signing, and which could help with Bryce Harper next year, whom the Nats currently stand poised to pick. He also made some decent moves during the season in picking up Nyjer Morgan, who has proved useful and popular, and unloading Nick Johnson. Sure, the Nats remain terrible, but there’s hope there, and a lot of that hope is based on moves Rizzo has made, either as GM or as scouting director. Frankly, I’m rather surprised that they’re not going to stick with him.
But maybe the most surprising thing in all of this is one of the guys who was reportedly on the Nats’ short list: ESPN’s Steve Phillips. According to Edes, ”
he told associates he had no interest because of his job at ESPN.” If the Nats were seriously considering Phillips — as opposed to this being something Phillips was simply floating through is “associates” to make himself sound like a viable candidate — then it shows the Lerners’ terrible judgment and thus passing over Rizzo is understandable.
If true, it also means that we were this close to being able to watch Sunday night baseball again with the sound on. Bummer.
