Last Wednesday, the Nationals decided that their general manager position will remain vacant for the foreseeable future.

However, assistant general manager Mike Rizzo has principal responsibilities when it comes to the Major League, Minor League and scouting operations. All team matters or inquiries will be directed to Rizzo, with team president Stan Kasten working closely with him.

Rizzo is working hard trying to improve the club through trades and free agency. MLB.com caught up with the busy Rizzo to talk about his additional roles and the Nationals.

MLB.com: You were given added duties less than a week ago. What has life been like for you since then?

Mike Rizzo: On the business end, it has been 24/7. We have a lot to do. We have been working the phones, talking to other general managers multiple times during the day. We have a lot of things going on. We are trying to evaluate our team and meeting with [manager] Manny Acta on a daily basis. I'm really trying to establish myself, get my feet on the ground and my arms wrapped around the office work and the baseball side of it.

MLB.com: You always wanted to become a general manager. Is it what you expected?

Rizzo: It's exactly what I expected. It's exactly what I'm embracing. It's long days and long nights. I'm the only guy in the office just about every night after the games, and I love it. It's something to have the reins on an organization. To have the trust from a Stan Kasten and the ownership group is humbling, to stay the least. But again, I think I'm well prepared for it, and I'm certainly going to make the most out of my opportunities.

MLB.com: How does it work between you and Kasten?

Rizzo: My job is to inform Stan of things that he needs to know about and to really control and handle the day-to-day operations of this baseball club. I want to get to the position where he gets to do the job that he is supposed to do as the president of the team. I want to get to the point where he trusts that I'm handling the day-to-day activities in a great manner.

MLB.com: Besides talent, what else do you want to see out of your players?

Rizzo: They have to be good citizens on and off the field. The clubhouse is a very unique and fragile environment. I think it's imperative to a successful organization that we have people who are good teammates. Good teammates are always pulling for each other. We need to have that mind-set, and I think we have brought in character guys -- Adam Dunn, Willie Harris and Austin Kearns, to name a few guys.

[Acta] is our main guy in the whole situation. He is a character guy. He is such a communicator with the players. He is such a players' guy, it rubs off on the rest of the players. We want to get to the point where if you are not on board with this, that you will feel like an outcast because you are not part of this process.

MLB.com: You have so many outfielders. Do you think you will trade some of them?

Rizzo: We are not going to give away an outfielder, because we believe we have good quality players. Yes, they happen to be right-handed hitters and they happen to play the outfield, but, you know what, we have what you call a great surplus of outfielders. You are one injury away from not having a great surplus.

It's March 10. We have three weeks of Spring Training before you have Opening Day. So there is a lot that could happen. ... We are going to be smart. We are going to do our due diligence and get a player who is going to impact us this year and throughout the next few years.

MLB.com: Do you think you have enough pitchers in camp to improve the bullpen, or do you have to go out and make a trade or sign a free agent?

Rizzo: I think we are going to explore all of those possibilities. I do think we have in-house candidates to put together a good bullpen. There is a possibility that we go out and get an established bullpen guy.

MLB.com: What do you think of the 2009 Nationals?

Rizzo: I don't know about you, but I'm excited about the team. I see a new energy, a new resolve on this ballclub. I see guys smiling and working their butts off. I love when Ronnie Belliard gets in the cage and brightens up the day. You have guys who are energetic and happy to be here. There are no cliques, there's no animosity. I like the core group of guys that we have. We don't have issues that we had in the past -- guys that are bringing us down in the clubhouse.

MLB.com: Austin Kearns, Wily Mo Pena and Dmitri Young will make a combined $15 million this year. Can you justify keeping those guys for that amount of money?

Rizzo: We are going put the best 25 guys on the roster. We are paying the players anyway. I can justify that by saying, this is the best chance of winning games with those players that you just mentioned.

Austin Kearns has been outstanding coming off the shoot. We are looking for him to be Austin Kearns. He looks and feels great. He's finally healthy. Let's not discount that the guy did play hurt most of last season and gutted it through. It could have been easy for him to say, "I'm hurt, I'm going on the DL." He's not that kind of player. He brings professionalism on the field and in the clubhouse. He's a true pro. Defensively, he is outstanding. Offensively, we hope he gets back to being Austin Kearns. If he is Austin Kearns, nobody is talking about the money.

We have to get Dmitri on the field. He has little injuries. Here's a guy that has done nothing but hit. He is a switch-hitter who can hit from both sides of plate. He gives you power. He's a good piece of this puzzle when he gets healthy and gets on the field. Until we really see him [on the field], we are not sure.

Wily Mo played hurt, and you can't hit with a bad shoulder. I'm telling you. It's too difficult. The guy tried to gut it through. That's the makeup type of guy that he is. You can see what he can do when he's healthy.

MLB.com: What do you want to accomplish by Opening Day?

Rizzo: I want to put the best 25-man roster in this very tough division. You have the Mets with their payroll. The Phillies are the defending World Champions. You have the Atlanta Braves making strides with what they are doing. The Florida Marlins are a well-run organization with what they do.

We are looking to change the culture in Washington, D.C. We want to be a well-respected, well-run, functional organization. We want to put professionals on the field and [we want them to] help us win games.