Mike Rizzo on Matt Williams' future: "We're going to certainly evaluate everything"

With Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister, Ian Desmond and Denard Span set to become free agents at season's end, the makeup of the Nationals in 2016 figures to be quite different. The most intriguing, though, revolves around whether the Nats manager will remain the same.

This afternoon, Nationals general Mike Rizzo manager made his normal weekly appearance with show hosts Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. Early in the interview, Paulsen gave Rizzo the opportunity to go on record regarding whether Williams will manage the Nationals next season.

"Well, we're going to certainly evaluate everything that went right and went wrong this season after the season," Rizzo responded on 106.7 The Fan. "We still have a lot of games to go here in the 2015 season.

"We're prepared and we want to win each and every game of those coming up this season. We're going to let the chips fall where they may. The odds are really stacked against us, but we're going to put our best foot forward and our best lineup out there throughout the rest of this season.

"And then, after the season, we're going to take a look at all aspects of our operation, from general manager's offices all the way down to the 40-man roster. And we'll make decisions based on what our findings are and how to proceed to make this organization continue to be playing meaningful games in September and October and to be one of the real vital franchises in baseball."

Paulsen questioned Rizzo further: "Is it fair to say, then, that you're still in evaluation mode? In other words, that your decision on whether or not someone's coming back has not been made yet because there's still games, you're going to evaluate what happens in those games before you decide that?"

"I think that's accurate," Rizzo said. "I think it would be shortsighted of me to make any decisions when I don't have all the facts in front of me.

"We're certainly going to evaluate this season when it's over, and we'll do everything we have to do to make the season in 2016 better than the season in 2015. That's always our goal, is to improve ourselves each and every year, and to be a viable franchise that contends for championships each and every year consistently, not a go-for-it-this-year, and future-be-damned. It's go for it this year, along with being ready and prepared and stable throughout the upcoming years."

Williams didn't have any managerial experience in the majors when Rizzo hired him to succeed Davey Johnson late in 2013. Williams delivered a 96-win season and a division title en route to being named National League Manager of the Year. But the Nats bowed out of the playoffs early, dropping the NLDS in four games with Williams questioned for some critical moves that backfired.

Owner Theodore Lerner and Rizzo picked up the 2016 club option in Williams' contract early in spring training this year when the Nationals were the odds-on favorites to win the World Series.

After a rough start, the Nationals battled back to take the division lead. They remained in first place from June 20 to Aug 2, creating as much as a 4 1/2-game gap. But numerous injuries interfered with their chances of running away from the pack as they were able to do a year ago.

The downfall began when they left New York on Aug. 2 tied with the Mets after suffering a disastrous three-game sweep in which Williams' handling of his starting pitchers and bullpen was especially questioned.

A month later and with a chance to close the gap on the Mets, the Nats dropped the first two in St. Louis despite leading both games in the seventh inning. Williams' use of his bullpen, which Rizzo constructed, again came under fire.

Following the consecutive costly defeats, Rizzo appeared on 106.7 The Fan, telling Paulsen and Rouhier that Williams "did a masterful job last night, in my mind, putting people in a position to succeed."

The Nats enter tonight's game trailing the division-leading Mets by 6 1/2 games with just 12 games remaining. They need to erase 3 1/2 games over the next nine to have a chance going into the season-ending series in New York.

If not, Rizzo might find himself on another managerial search.