Knorr could be in line to be next GM for Washington Nationals

After being relieved of his duties as bench coach earlier this month, Randy Knorr was brought back by the Washington Nationals to serve as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo. Once pegged as a possible candidate to take over as the club’s manager in 2016, Knorr will instead add some front office work to his resume that already includes an 11-year playing career, a World Series ring in 1993, and over a decade in coaching in the Nationals organization.

But Knorr’s path could get even weirder at some point. Could he actually go from player to coach to general manager?

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Rizzo has been considered one of the game’s best general managers for a while now, but he’s also had the luxury of building his roster around some of the most sure-fire draft picks of the last decade in the form of Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg. He also inherited franchise cornerstones Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, with the likes of Jordan Zimmermann, Danny Espinosa and others already being in the system as well.

To Rizzo’s credit, he “won” trades for Denard Span, Wilson Ramos and Doug Fister, though his trade track record has taken a serious hit after Jonathan Papelbon‘s role in the implosion of the 2015 team. While Yunel Escobar, another trade acquisition of Rizzo’s, produced at the plate this year, the GM was charged with dismantling the clubhouse culture and breaking the team’s bullpen in dealing Tyler Clippard to acquire Escobar.

Hiring a new manager, fixing the bullpen, disposing of Papelbon, managing how to go about handling the club’s long list of free agents, improving the bench and laying the groundwork for a potential Harper extension are amongst the challenges Rizzo faces this offseason. With a wealthy ownership group and a fan base that expects a winning product watching him, Rizzo’s job security could take a big hit if the team doesn’t see a significant turnaround in 2016.

Should Rizzo fail to instigate a quick fix next year (or worse, see more decline), it wouldn’t be such a crazy notion to suggest his job would be in jeopardy. And if that should happen, who will be waiting in the wings?

Randy Knorr.

Having time to study Rizzo and see the front office side of things could make Knorr the perfect candidate to be his current boss’s ultimate successor. Between his playing experience, understanding of developing minor-league talent and also his time in the big-league dugout, Knorr brings as much understanding to the table as any potential Rizzo replacement. Factor in that his entire coaching career has been spent in the Nationals organization, and he brings more first-hand perspective than anyone. While it’s unclear if the financial side of things is his strong suit, a financially savvy Assistant General Manager or two could take care of that regardless.

Players reportedly turned to Knorr as a soundboard to voice their displeasures with former manager Matt Williams, and he seems to have gained the trust of the players in the organization. That would bode well for the Nationals in trying to lock up superstar Bryce Harper long-term, and having a guy with a reputation as likable and trustworthy amongst players in charge of the organization would also go a long way in trying to attract future free agents.

A strong offseason this winter could easily drop any questions about Rizzo’s long-term job security, but he faces easily his most trying set of circumstances to date. The results of his attempts will likely go one of two different ways. And if things go south, it wouldn’t be so ludicrous to think Knorr would be next in line to fill his shoes.

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