How does John Mozeliak stack up against other long-term general managers?

Mike Rizzo, Washington Nationals -- March 4, 2009

Mike Rizzo stepped in following a string of 4th and 5th place finishes for the franchise that stretched back to 2003. The National were in just their 5th year in the nation's capital, and the future wasn't very bright for the team. It was a tall task for Rizzo to turn around an organization.

A glut of top draft picks that included Stephen Strasburg (2009), Bryce Harper (2010), and Anthony Rendon (2011) would eventually pay dividends for the organization, though, and Rizzo didn't have to wait to long for his team to finish first in the National League East.

From a pure winning perspective, Mike Rizzo's teams don't hold a candle to John Mozeliak's teams. Mo's winning percentage is .050 points higher in a very similar time span. The same applies to playoff appearances. The Nationals' World Series victory in 2019 stands tall, however, as neither Cashman nor Mozeliak can claim a championship in the last decade.

The Nationals are currently running a 4-year stretch of last-place finishes in the National League East. They have a 55-win season mired in the middle as well. For as bad as last season was for the Cardinals, it as par for the course for Nationals fans (who also finished 71-91 in 2023).

I'm not sure if calls for Mike Rizzo to be fired or replaced have started in Washington D.C., but if Cardinal fans are calling for John Mozeliak's resignation -- which is imminent -- then Nationals fans should do the same with their general manager. Mozeliak has performed much better than his counterpart with the Nationals despite both starting within a year of each other.