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Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo gets 3-year extension

The Washington Nationals have given a three-year contract extension to president and general manager Mike Rizzo, the team announced Saturday.

Rizzo's contract was set to expire at the end of this season.

"We are thrilled that Mike will continue to lead our club," Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. "He guided us through the early years of building this franchise into what it is today -- a perennial contender that brought a World Series championship home to Washington, D.C., last season.

"I look forward to continuing our strong working relationship for years to come."

In addition to the 2019 World Series championship, the Nationals, under Rizzo's watch, have also won four National League East titles and had one wild-card berth in the past eight seasons.

The Nationals are in last place in the division in this pandemic-shortened season.

"He deserves it," manager Dave Martinez said. "He built this organization and good for him. He gets more years to build this up again and do it again."

Martinez hopes he is next up. He is in the final year of a three-year contract that includes a club option for 2021.

"Mike's is done. Mine should be coming around the corner pretty soon," Martinez said. "We'll see what happens.

"For me I never really think about it, honestly. I know they're going to do the right thing. I do believe that. I have a good relationship with the Lerner family. They know how I feel about being here and I don't want to go anywhere else."

The 59-year-old Rizzo joined the Nationals in 2006 and took over the team's baseball operations in 2009. Under his guidance, the Nationals have gone 951-867 -- the seventh-best record in the majors in that span. Since 2012, the Nationals have baseball's third-best record at 743-590, trailing the Dodgers and Yankees.

He is the fourth-longest tenured GM in the major leagues.

On the same day the Nationals renewed their commitment to Rizzo, the team recalled top prospect Carter Kieboom from its alternate training site to start at third base.

Kieboom, a first-round pick in 2016, was hitting only .200 with no homers when he was optioned to the team's alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Aug. 26. Kieboom, 23, was recalled after spending the minimum 10 days at the site.

Kieboom was in the starting lineup at Atlanta on Saturday night. Martinez said third base will belong to the rookie the remainder of the season.

"He's going to play third base the rest of the year," Martinez said. "We've got to see what he can do. It's a perfect opportunity for him to go out there and play every day."

Infielder Wilmer Difo was designated for assignment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.