Nationals sign GM Mike Rizzo to two-year extension

On the heels of a quick start to the season and just hours before they host their home opener on South Capitol Street, the Nationals have locked up the architect of their franchise and resolved one of their most pressing questions that loomed over the club all winter and spring.

The Nats announced this morning they have signed Mike Rizzo to a two-year contract extension, one that ensures their longtime general manager will remain in that role through at least the 2020 season.

Rizzo, who has been with the Nationals since 2006, took over as interim GM in 2009 and then was given the position on a permanent basis later that summer before earning a promotion in 2013 that included a bump in title to president of baseball operations. That contract featured two option years that the Nationals picked up for the 2017-18 seasons, but the deal was set to expire at the end of October.

Given their previous tendencies to drag decisions like this out, the Nats broke from the mold a bit in finalizing this new two-year extension now, with the season only six games old.

"Mike's commitment to our shared goal of bringing a world championship to Washington, D.C. makes this an exciting day for our family and the Washington Nationals," Ted Lerner, managing principal owner said in a statement. "Mike and his staff have built quite a team -  one that brings excitement to our ballpark every night and gives our city something to be proud of."

When Rizzo took over in March 2009 following the resignation of Jim Bowden amid a scandal involving a highly touted Dominican prospect who falsified his name and age in order to receive a $1.4 million signing bonus, the Nationals were among the least-successful franchises in baseball. But after losing 100-plus games in both 2008 and 2009, Rizzo engineered the drafting and signing of No. 1 picks Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, then the signing of free agent Jayson Werth and the long-term extension of Ryan Zimmerman.

The Nationals won 98 games and their first-ever National League East division title in 2012 and have now captured that crown four of the last six seasons, though October success still remains elusive.

"I'm proud of the progress we've made in Washington, D.C., building the Nationals from nearly expansion status into one of the winningest clubs in Major League Baseball," Rizzo said in a statement. "I appreciate the Lerner family for giving me the continued opportunity to see what we can accomplish in the future."