Nationals pick up GM Rizzo's 2014 extension

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals have picked up general manager Mike Rizzo's option for 2014, according to a baseball source. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The two parties are working on an extension beyond next season.

Rizzo, who has been Washington's GM since 2009, has turned the Nationals into one of the best teams in Major League Baseball. Under his leadership, the Nationals won their first division title in 2012, going 98-64. His Draft expertise is one of the reason the Nats are among the game's elite clubs. Of the players on last year's team the entire season, seven were drafted by Rizzo, including outfielder Bryce Harper and right-hander Stephen Strasburg.

Rizzo was named 2012 Executive of the Year by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America and Hit Club of Chicago.

Principal owner Mark Lerner told the Washington Times early this month that the Nationals are working on an extension with Rizzo. It's not known how long a deal Rizzo is seeking. In the 2010 offseason, he signed a three-year extension with two one-year options.

Neither Rizzo nor Lerner were available for comment.