MLB insider gives his take on possible reason behind Nationals' firing manager Dave Martinez

The Washington Nationals pulled a major move Sunday evening, firing general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. The move comes after the Nationals' poor start to the season, holding a 37-53 record as they continue to try to return to the postseason after winning the World Series in 2019.

Mike DeBartolo, who has been with the Nats since 2012, will serve as interim general manager for the Nationals. Before this interim promotion, he was serving as the assistant general manager and senior vice president of baseball operations.

Shortly after breaking the news, MLB insider Jeff Passan joined ESPN MLB, providing details on what may have gone wrong in D.C. and why the management finally pulled the plug.

"Yeah, I mean, Dave Martinez has said some stuff publicly, you know, about how the players have to be as accountable as everyone else for these losses," Passan said (1:34). "And it did not go over well in the clubhouse.

"Um, there's truth to it—like, it's reality—but it's just not what managers tend to say. I think you look at the development of some of the younger players. Dylan Crews, former number one overall pick, has struggled, you know, as he’s gotten to the big leagues."

According to Passan, the blame doesn't solely rest on Martinez’s shoulders.

"But let’s also acknowledge: the Nationals haven’t spent money in a while," Passan added. "Like, they very easily could have gone after Alex Bregman, for example, this winter, and they just weren’t in on any of the major free agents at all."

Jeff Passan drew a parallel to the 2016 Cubs, who invested early in veteran ace Jon Lester, which helped catalyze a championship run. On the other hand, the Nationals left their young core to carry the load.

---

Jeff Passan believes Dave Martinez's comments put him in the line of fire

The Nationals haven't tasted success in the last five years, missing the postseason each time. Amid the frustration, Dave Martinez pinned the blame on players and defended his coaching staff.

Following a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on June 14, Martinez had said:

"It's never on coaching," Martinez told reporters. "Never on coaching. Coaches work their asses off every single day. We're not going to finger-point here and say it's coaches. It's never on the coaches. They work hard. The message is clear. All the work is done prior. So sometimes, they have to go out there and play the game. It's always been about the players. Always."

According to insider Jeff Passan, these are things that the manager should never say in public. Throwing the players under the bus after losses was seemingly one of the reasons why the management fired Dave Martinez.