The Lion’s Tale recently had the opportunity to get an inside look at the Washington Nationals 2014 season with none other than the man who built the team, General Manager and President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo.

Lion’s Tale: How would you describe the success and disappointments of the 2015 season?
Mike Rizzo: We have high expectations here, so any year in which we do not make the postseason, we are disappointed. There were many highlights this season that we are proud of, however. We had the pleasure of watching Bryce Harper put together a historic MVP season, Max Scherzer throw two no-hitters and players like Michael A. Taylor, Joe Ross and Trea Turner take the next step in their development.

LT: Recently, the Nationals hired Dusty Baker as the manager. Why is he the best man for the job?
MR: In identifying what we wanted in the next on-field leader of our team and getting to know Dusty, his experience, as a winning player, coach, and manager, made him the best fit. We are excited to have him as the manager of the Nationals. He has a great reputation for handling players and he is one of the best in the business at navigating the nine innings of a baseball game.

LT: What is it like to run a baseball team, and to be the main person in charge of the team’s decision making?
MR: It is equal parts challenging and exciting. I am honored that the Lerner Family has put their trust in me to lead this organization and put the best possible team out on the field. I have a tremendous staff and we work together to make the best decisions for both today and for the future of the club.

LT: How does a trade normally go down?
MR: Well, I would say that there are no “normal” trades. Some come together very quickly, some take a lot of time to work through. Some are relatively simple, some are very complex. Again, I have a tremendous staff and we all work in concert with each other to make the best moves possible.

LT: What is your advice for high school athletes trying to take their skills to the next level?
MR: Keep working hard. Stay focused on not only athletics, but academics, as well. If you don’t take care of business in the classroom, your opportunities in sports may become limited.

LT: What are the offseason goals for the Nationals in order to have a successful 2016 season?
MR: We are going to make moves that fit in with what we are trying to accomplish. When you don’t make the postseason, you look for any opportunity to improve. One specific example for you, as you know, unfortunately, we lost a lot of players to the disabled list in 2015. Because of that, we implemented a new medical structure with a focus on being proactive and utilizing injury-prevention techniques that we hope will keep our players on the field in 2016 and beyond.