His father, Phil, was a former minor league baseball player[4] who drove a truck for the city and scouted for the California Angels on a part-time basis.

Rizzo earned a World Series ring with Arizona in 2001, and the organization brought an astounding number of homegrown players through to the Major Leagues during his tenure.

Brandon Webb (2006  Cy Young Award winner), Carlos Gonzalez, Chad Tracy, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Dan Uggla, Micah Owings, Tony Pena, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Miguel Montero, Chris Snyder, Carlos Quentin, Max Scherzer and Brett Anderson were all signed by Arizona under Rizzo's watch.

[6] As a result, Rizzo joined the Washington Nationals organization, when he was appointed assistant general manager and vice president of baseball operations by Jim Bowden on July 24, 2006.

[9] This move coincided with the franchise's ownership transfer from Major League Baseball to a Washington, D.C.–based investment group headed by Ted Lerner.

[10] Three days after Bowden's sudden resignation on March 1, 2009,[11] Rizzo was promoted to general manager on an interim basis by team president Stan Kasten.

[13] On October 19, 2010, Rizzo signed a five-year contract extension and was promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager.

[15] On June 24, 2021, at Miami, the Nationals beat the Marlins, 7–3, marking Rizzo's 1,000th win as general manager since taking over the club during 2009 Spring Training.

Since 2012, the Nationals have the fifth-best regular season record in Major League Baseball over this span, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians.

In December 2015, Rizzo pulled off a three-team trade that netted shortstop Trea Turner and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross from the San Diego Padres and sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings taking place at nearby National Harbor, Md., Rizzo acquired outfielder Adam Eaton from the White Sox in exchange for prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning.

After 11 seasons as the head of Washington's baseball operations, Rizzo's team won the 2019 World Series, defeating the Houston Astros in seven games.

Other notable contributors Rizzo has brought in via trade during his tenure include Nelson Cruz, Josh Bell, Gio Gonzalez, Tanner Roark, Blake Treinen, Mark Melancon, Wilson Ramos, Denard Span, Kurt Suzuki, Michael Morse, and Sean Burnett, among others.