ST. LOUIS-- Mike DeBartolo has been part of the Nationals organization since 2012. Yet in the past 48 hours, his role has changed drastically.
DeBartolo was named Nationals interim general manager on Sunday following the firings of longtime GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. DeBartolo had been the Nats senior vice president and assistant general manager.
On Tuesday, the day after he announced Miguel Cairo as interim manager, DeBartolo spoke to reporters for 17 minutes in the visitors dugout at Busch Stadium prior to the Nats' 4-2 series-opening loss to the Cardinals.
“I want to recognize Mike and Davey for all the significant contributions they've made to the Nationals over the last many years,” DeBartolo said. “To win a World Series and to bring that joy and happiness to the Nationals community, the D.C. community, the organization is an incredible accomplishment.
“They've devoted many years of their lives to the Nationals. I learned a lot from working with Mike and Davey, and I'm appreciative of Riz for the opportunities.
“I want to thank the Lerner, Cohen and Tanenbaum families for their confidence in me. I've known and worked with Mark Lerner for 14 years, so I'm excited to build on that relationship.”
The Nationals were 37-53 and fifth in the NL East when DeBartolo was named interim GM. They finished 71-91 the last two years in a row and have not posted a winning record since the 2019 World Series season.
“The fans are right to be frustrated,” DeBartolo said. “We're all frustrated. We have a lot of interesting, exciting, young pieces to build on. We have a lot more we need to build. Simply stepping up our game is not enough. We need real change. I'm excited to bring a fresh approach, a fresh voice to this role, and integrate more data, more technology, more innovation into our decision-making across the organization at all levels and hopefully improve the performance of our players as well.”
MLB Draft
The Nationals hold the first overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike on Sunday evening. DeBartolo lauded the Nats' amateur scouting team for its preparation. The Nationals hold picks Nos. 1, 49 and 80 on Day One.
“The amateur scouting leadership has been working for a year to prepare for this, and I've been in the loop and following as well, and have my own opinions and work collaboratively with them,” DeBartolo said. “So they're very well prepared. They've been working hard for this moment, almost even before the last Draft ended. I'll bring my own voice to that process, and I'll work collaboratively with them and take what they have to say and ultimately be responsible for making the picks.”
Trade Deadline
Less than three weeks after the Draft, DeBartolo will be tasked with leading at the Trade Deadline on July 31. He has gained invaluable experience at the pivotal point in the season over the years.
“I’ve been heavily involved in the Trade Deadline process going back 10 or so years,” DeBartolo said. “I’ve negotiated several of the trades we’ve done on my own, with Riz’s final decision obviously, but negotiating. I’m proud of the role I played in the Juan Soto trade in trying to identify some of the key players in that trade, including James Wood, and negotiating elements of that trade and strategizing around that trade for months in advance.”
Areas of interest
DeBartolo attended Tufts University as an undergrad and Columbia Business School for his graduate degree. He joined the Nationals in 2012 as an intern, and he served in an assistant general manager capacity since '19. His experience with the Nats has spanned baseball operations decisions, assisting in contract and trade negotiations, player evaluations, salary arbitration and Major League rules.
“Coming from an analytics background and building up that department, I'm excited to try to leverage both analytics and also new technology throughout the organization,” DeBartolo said. “We have a lot of great information, and I think there are ways it could be integrated more into all of our processes. I think I'd like to lead that sort of transition and integrate that even further.”
At the Major League level
On the same day the Nationals dropped 16 games below .500 and made the organizational shakeup, James Wood and MacKenzie Gore earned their first All-Star selections.
“That's been extremely encouraging to see several young players playing on an All-Star caliber level,” DeBartolo said. “I think we need to build and bolster the support around them and improve the consistency of play. … They're learning, and they're growing together. Every single day, the emphasis is going to be building their skill set, getting them better. But certainly, it's clear from the results we have a long way to go to build up that consistency and build up the talent level to get to where we want to be, which is competing for a playoff spot every single year.”
Potential interest in long-term GM role
Like the managerial role, the Nationals will explore the general manager position as well this offseason. DeBartolo is focusing on busy weeks ahead, but he expressed his passion for the club when asked if he would like the GM job in the long term.
“I would be honored, and I care deeply about the Nationals,” DeBartolo said. “Everything in my life revolves around trying to build the Nationals into a consistent, perennial contender. So I’m devoted to that. Of course it’s out of my hands, and I respect whatever decision gets made. I’ve got enough on my plate between the Draft and the Trade Deadline, so it’s not a concern of mine. But the answer to your question would be: Yes.”