Grant & Danny are LIVE from the Nats Gala and are joined by Mike Rizzo & Davey Martinez.
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00:00Supposed to have gotten a nod on
00:02Tonight's exhibition start against the Orioles that got rained out
00:05We're joined now by the president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo who just strolled the red carpet and is getting ready for the gala himself
00:12This is one of those really fun nights
00:14Organizationally where I'd imagine just the camaraderie element is the fellowship of getting everyone together out of baseball
00:20These are nights that matter in the grand scheme of things, you know
00:23When we're we've been we've been cooped up together for about two months in Florida
00:28You know to you know, let our hair down no pun intended let our hair down having a little fun and and
00:34After you know months of preparation and coming north
00:37I have a have a night of a little bit of a little levity and and then get back to business tomorrow
00:43We got to work out the next two days and then we take on the Phillies Thursday
00:47So we're looking forward to it in terms of this night and it's a it's a testament
00:52I think to how much part of the community the Nationals are whereas I'm older remember when they didn't
00:56Right, this is such as now it's a thing we take I don't say take for granted
00:59But we expect and all everything from National Philanthropies to the Nats Youth Academy
01:04To Ian Desmond being honored tonight for all of his involvement. It's something kind of makes you pull up and go
01:08It's actually pretty cool that this is now like, you know kids that what are now grown ups with their own kids
01:13It's kind of a neat part of the cycle. Yeah, you know this
01:17We're coming in on my 18th year in the organization and you know, we've seen it grow from its infancy and
01:24And you know, we're part of the fabric of the community now, you know, we're you know, we do we do our thing in DC
01:31and you know, we're proud to wear Washington on the front of our uniforms and and you know, we take that with we take that
01:39pride with responsibility to
01:41You know to be be a good be good to our fan base and and to have them be proud of us
01:46Mike Rizzo president baseball ops of the Nats here on Grant and Danny
01:50I was just asking Jake Urban about this want to double down with you
01:54Based on a few of the decisions you guys have made here
01:57It feels like the faders are getting turned up a little bit on it's time to win
02:01This is now about going out there and pushing this thing forward. Is that?
02:07Based on kind of the mindset the paradigm
02:10Is that fair to say that you guys are kind of turning up the heat on that a little bit?
02:13Yeah, I think that you know
02:14We always want to we always want to win and I think that you know
02:18Those those eight or nine years of excellence that we had, you know, we expected to win
02:22I think that we have to get back to the mindset that we expect to win every time we take the field and
02:26And we think that we're gonna come a close a step closer this year with that mindset and and that that attitude taking the field
02:33That you know
02:34You know
02:34We're gonna win this game and then and then move on to the next for you if blank happens this team will be better than
02:40people think I
02:41Think that you know if we play the game the right way
02:44We've got we got an abundance of skill and talent and tools if you will on the team both in a core position players and
02:53Rotation and in bullpen arms, and if we play the game the right way give them 27 hours
02:59Don't run into outs, you know play
03:01offensively efficient and play, you know in in throw strikes attach a strike zone and and
03:07Go deeper in the games. I think that the sky's the limit for us
03:10Does not getting to play at all today with a couple of days off still ahead
03:15Hinder you guys in any way in the grand scheme
03:17Well, it kind of threw a wrench into what we're trying to do
03:21you know moving forward because we had obviously we had you know, Jake was
03:24Scheduled to start that game today and go several innings and then our bullpen guys were gonna go one inning each
03:30so
03:31we had to make we had to make do with Jake throw in a simulated game and in the bullpen today because
03:37Today's his day to do it to set him up for for the future this weekend. So
03:44you know, but it's you know, you have to adapt and overcome and you know
03:49He put his his thinking cap on and we you know
03:52We did we did the workouts that we had to do and guys took an abundance amount of BP and we'll get back at it
03:58We'll get that guy that tomorrow and and Wednesday and be ready for Thursday
04:02And you guys were able to get right in the midseason form of dealing with DC weather
04:06I mean you're back in West Palm Range, of course
04:08We're sitting there Toby and I are the dugout like today should be awesome and it's raining and we're not sure if they're gonna play
04:13I guess just feels right
04:17Exactly, it's you know, it's it's kind of like what we go through, you know throughout the season
04:21It's like a chance. It's like there's always a chance of rain and then the rain circles back on us and it's got
04:28I know way more about the about the media meteorology than I
04:33Yeah, it's gotta it's gotta be the river or something like I don't know anything
04:36Yeah, the weather at that ballpark is the least predictable. It's insane
04:41I mean, it's and I feel like every single time a big event happens over the years. It's never like 79 and sunny
04:48There's always rain in the forecast. Yeah, it's it's it's challenging to say the least and and I know what
04:55Frustrates a fan base sometimes but it is a different. It's a it's a difficult
05:00Decision to navigate
05:01You know when to start games at times and when to cancel games and and you know
05:06We try we try to air and always the side of the convenience of the fan. That's that's our most
05:11important aspect of the
05:13decision making
05:14but you know
05:16we certainly didn't want to play a game on a wet field with the with the Orioles and the internets and somebody somebody slips and
05:22Gets hurt and that's not what we wanted to do either. So like this is a treat enjoyed tonight, man
05:27It's always a pleasure you guys thank you buddy Mike Rizzo president baseball ops getting ready to go enjoy his evening at the Nats gala
05:34They are at the anthem tonight on the war a couple of minutes with the gentleman
05:39Who's gonna be putting the roster together with Davey Martinez? We mentioned there's just a few decisions left at this point the second catcher
05:47The last two bullpen spots and there's three guys competing and then your last bench spot probably in the infield between
05:53Tana and Juan Lopez, but generally at this point, I think they've got a pretty good feel for the way that they're leaning
05:59That's indicative maybe of a little bit more competition. They did not have the offseason
06:02I wanted her a lot of people wanted in terms of high-impact stardom, right?
06:06But there's there certainly at you know a pace maybe that doesn't match up with what fans have always wanted
06:12They are getting closer and closer in this rebuild. Yeah, given given limitations that I think came from, you know a different office
06:19They made some pretty shrewd moves as they always do right again
06:22I can't get over that. Nobody else wanted Paul de Young for like 11 bucks, you know
06:26Like I think that guy's gonna hit 20-plus home runs for them and be an impact back the fact that he was available is remarkable
06:31That's a really shrewd signing that this organization has done a lot of who's this handsome gentleman look at the suit sitting down, right?
06:39Ladies and gentlemen Davey Martinez manager of your Nationals
06:42So I've never even thought about this until this moment baseball is the only sport
06:47I think where the coach wears the uniform and there used to be in a lot of other sports that they would go full suit
06:53It's obviously way too hot to do that in baseball way too hot way too expensive
06:58But where are you on
07:00Like wearing the full uniform and baseball as opposed to other sports where you could wear like, you know
07:05So we got a track suit or something like that. You know what actually love it
07:07I really do being that I played for such a long time. I know nothing else, right?
07:13Put in the uniform on it really makes me feel good
07:15It really does because from the days were poor for like, you know, it was like the 30 year old was the ancient veteran
07:20It was the player manager. Sure. I hit himself fifth every day
07:24Well, yeah, hey granted back in those days
07:27Water uniforms a little bit different, right? Yeah a lot different
07:30I would say hey great video the team put out of you walking it in the road. So I'm guessing in the West Palm Clubhouse
07:36Yeah, so
07:39They conned me into that because it was supposed to be in-house right nothing. Oh, nobody was listen. No, they released
07:46Got an angry email then. Well, I got a whole lot of my friends back in Nashville and and all over in there
07:53they're they're dumping stuff and
07:56It's hilarious now I guarantee if you didn't know that was happening Kyle Brostowicz got a text or two or somebody
08:03Was but that can't happen
08:06I
08:08Will ask you again good guy. I thought it was pretty good
08:10I thought it was cool you in the robe is kind of a piece behind the curtain
08:15But the city connects have gone over pretty well people really like the I like it. Yes. Awesome. I love my first one
08:20I mean, they were really cool
08:22These are the great cherry blossom. That's awesome. Yeah, but these are actually came out pretty good. They really did
08:28So it's something different, you know
08:30The boys seem to like them a lot too. So that's awesome
08:32Any other stuff that happens in your office that we could record it and put out that you won't know about hey
08:36You know what? You got to be in a circle for that kind of stuff
08:42But in terms of Jersey, they got a lot of like old car muggins
08:45We'll kind of like me like roll their eyes or whatever who cares but there's something to that where it's like it's exciting for the
08:49guys, right
08:50It's like you play once if you do it is the
08:52Glandiest of grinds in the history of grinds to go through that slog of the season and it's like some little extra bit of seasoning
08:59A little bit of spice. Yeah, it's kind of exciting. Hey, you know
09:01So I always say, you know
09:04When you put that uniform on it's special, right?
09:07It really is and when you get to when you get to connect with it, but with the city, especially DC
09:12It makes it that more special. So, you know, we represent the city of DC and all Virginia area and
09:19Maryland as well. So, you know these guys are great about it. They love it. I love it
09:24You know, it's awesome to be able to go out there represent our city
09:27Maybe the final couple of roster spots are still up for grabs. You didn't get a chance for a last audition
09:33I guess today but by now you guys have a pretty good idea of where you want to go
09:37how will you make up your mind because they're different players when you look like 10 adversity pairs or if it's three relievers for two
09:43spots with a Rutledge
09:45Lord and Revolta like
09:48It's odd that all of them could be, you know getting the gigs because they do different things. So how does that work?
09:53Yeah, so, you know, well I'll sit with Chris tomorrow and the next day we'll talk about some stuff I'm hoping that by
10:00By Wednesday, we everything's set in stone
10:02I want these guys to know what they're doing and I would and I always say hey look
10:07It's gonna take a whole lot a whole lot of other guys doing the championship. Yeah
10:12So I know the thing about opening day. It's awesome, you know, but it's one day, you know
10:17You know in a week or two weeks three weeks things could change, you know
10:21So these guys if they're here if they're not they got to be readily available to help us win games
10:25Do you meet with every player throughout the process when they get released or there's so many of them?
10:30Do you have to absolutely you just yeah, it's the worst part of my job. It really is, you know, and
10:36But it's part of part of part of it
10:39What goes into a decision that we may not be aware of like a week like a bunch of idiots like us can go
10:44Well, that's their guts. For example, they got two left knees in the bullpen
10:46They probably don't need a third and that's just that elementary level type stuff
10:50What goes into these kinds of decisions that we may not think of his fans? Yeah, you know, it's it really is just
10:55Just trying to construct a roster according to what what you think your needs are. Yeah for me. It's about your position players
11:02It's about you know, the in-game stuff, you know, what happens in the 6th 7th 8th hitting if we need to make a move
11:08You know, we have the right guys, right? So
11:11So you we think about that our pitching and we think about a lot a lot now
11:15You know as you know starting pitchers, you know a lot if they go five innings six innings, you know, that's great
11:21you know for us we try to push them a little longer, but if they do I
11:25We'd like to carry a guy that you go multiple innings, you know one plus or two
11:30To cover us, you know, so so all that all that stuff goes into decision making we make the roster Davey last one for me
11:37Give us something early in the season that you think is worth really tracking and is something you'll be using to say
11:44Hey, are we playing the kind of all we need to is this a carryover from spring training that fans should be monitoring?
11:49Yeah, so, you know, as you know, we play really aggressive
11:52This year, you know, we got to be smart about running in town. I think we got some guys in my life
11:58I could drive and run so we just do that. We don't want to run it down
12:01We're gonna be aggressive, but we want to be smart when it comes to running running stealing bases going first or third
12:08So that's something that we really you know, you guys can look for and look at
12:12But you know, I don't want I don't want to give out, you know, look, you know, I think our lineup is set pretty good
12:18You know, so we got a hit, you know, you know, we got a hit
12:22I would think I'm pitching for pitching holds up. We're gonna do fine. So
12:25We're gonna score some run Davey. Give me a guy put in a spot here a little bit
12:28Give me a guy for fans. Wait, do you get a load of like?
12:33We know I this year's version of I actually I
12:37Really believe James was gonna have a big year. I really do but the guy that really to me. It's really mature a lot
12:45Great shape
12:46He's a different different guy. He really is
12:49So I'm looking forward to getting them going and I'm watching to beat this year. You said our catcher
12:54I thought for a second you said our captain you guys you guys don't do that. No
12:58Those things those things to me resolve themselves. I never named the captain
13:02There's always a few that's that come out stand out and and when they speak guys tend to listen
13:07So, you know that those you know all that clubhouse stuff, you know, they handle themselves
13:11Davy, thank you. We appreciate it. No, it's good
13:17Manager the Nationals will be back at it on Thursday with his ballclub two days from now. This thing gets going for real