Floundering Nationals sign reliever recently DFA'ed by Dodgers to major league deal

On Sunday, the Nationals suddenly fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. The Nats are 37-53 and fifth in the NL East, and seem destined to stay that way for the foreseeable future - despite the emergence of exciting young prospects like James Wood, the steadiness of CJ Abrams, and guys like MacKenzie Gore finally figuring things out. If they finish fifth, it'll be their fifth last-place finish in the six years since they won the World Series and declared a rebuild.

Assistant GM Mike DeBartolo was quickly named Rizzo's successor, and word that bench coach Miguel Cairo would replace Martinez came down on Monday.

The Nats made their first major league signing under DeBartolo's watch the same day leadership was overhauled, signing (drumroll please) reliever Luis García, recently DFA'ed and released by the Dodgers, to a big league contract.

It's not exactly a big splash of a signing, but García didn't have to wait long to find a new home after being DFA'ed by the Dodgers on June 29, then released on July 4, following a 1/3-inning appearance when he gave up three runs. He left LA with a 5.27 ERA in 27 1/3 innings.

Nationals sign Luis García to a major league contract after Dodgers' DFA, front office shakeup in Washington

Rizzo was at the helm for the Nationals' 2019 World Series win, their first and only championship victory, and dismantled a team that once included Anthony Rendon in his prime (that one is probably for the best), Max Scherzer in what was arguably his prime, Juan Soto, and Trea Turner. But Rizzo was also responsible for the Soto trade that got Abrams, Gore, and Wood to Washington, and the Nationals have drafted decently well in the last few seasons.

Speaking of the draft, DeBartolo will now be on the hook for the one that's coming up in just a week, when the Nationals will have the first overall pick.

García is little more than a band-aid for all of Washington's woes. They have the third-worst team ERA in baseball, which has contributed more to their losing season than their entirely average offense. The Nats have pretty much waved the white flag on this season, if these firings are any indication, and it's more likely than not that García will be looking for a new job at the end of the season, if he lasts quite that long.