We will find out soon if Nationals interim manager Jim Riggleman has a future managing his hometown club. That decision is likely to come just days after the season ends on Sunday. But even if Riggleman is a candidate for the permanent job there are other intriguing possibilities out there for general manager Mike Rizzo.
One of them is Bobby Valentine, who has spent the last six seasons managing in Japan, where he became a cult hero with the Chiba Lotte Marines before parting ways with that club this summer. The 59-year-old had success in New York, leading the Mets to the World Series in 2000, and also managed the Texas Rangers during a 15-year career. His teams have had 10 winning seasons and his career record is 1117-1072. Valentine admits he hasn’t followed Major League Baseball closely over the last six seasons. Would he even be interested in a club coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons?
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“I don’t know about 100-loss seasons. I do know about a No. 1 draft choice [pitcher Stephen Strasburg] that was signed,” Valentine said. “But I can tell you what would draw me to any job would be the people I would be working with day-in and day-out, who would have to be on the same page, pulling in the same direction, wanting to do the same things that I want to do — enjoy the game and watch young players develop and the fans get to enjoy a successful team.”
