This makes me sick. Jim Riggleman is right that he deserves an extension, but it would have been better if he had just stayed. It’s too bad.
Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman resigned Thursday after the Nats beat Seattle 1-0 at Nationals Park. The shocking move came as Washington won for the 11th time in 12 games, and surpassed the .500 mark for the first time this late in a season since their inaugural season of 2005.
In a post-game press conference, general manager Mike Rizzo said that Riggleman, who has worked on one-year contracts since taking over the team in 2009, told him before the game that if he did not get a contract extension he would resign after the game.
“Jim told me pregame today that if we wouldn’t pick up his option he wouldn’t get on the team bus today, ” Rizzo said.
Jayson Werth, who was called out at home in the first inning trying to tag up on a Zimmerman fly ball in a controversial call, was unfazed by Riggleman’s resignation. Werth was quoted by the Associated Press after the game as saying, “It’s not going to change anything in here. We’re the ones that have been making the pitches and hitting the balls and winning the ballgames, so we’re going to keep going.” Werth, who called for changes on the Nats in May, is hitting .235 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI.
Werth makes approximately $18 million per year, which is about 30 times more than Riggleman’s $600,000 salary. Werth, Strasburg, and 18-year old phenom Bryce Harper are all clients of agent Scott Boras.
I’m not saying that’s the whole reason but it’s part of it. To read the rest of my article on examiner.com, click here.
Tags: contract, Jim Riggleman resigns, Mike Rizzo, Washington Nationals
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