Asked earlier in the week whether he would like his up-in-the-air contract status resolved before the season ends, Martinez said his agent and Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had been discussing the matter.

“I love it here. I don’t see myself going anywhere else,” Martinez said then. “I appreciate the family. I appreciate this organization. We’ve built a special relationship here, so I hope I get a chance to stay for many, many years.”

Then he paused for five seconds before adding: “The sooner, the better, though.”

KENDRICK PONDERS RETIREMENT

Nationals INF-DH Howie Kendrick said he hasn’t decided whether to retire or try to return in 2021 for what would be his 16th major league season. The 37-year-old Kendrick revealed Friday that he would have stopped playing after this season if hadn’t wound up being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I was thinking about retiring after this year,” he said, “but because of COVID, it kind of raised the question of, like, ‘Man, do you want to go out like this? Do you want 2020 to be any worse?’”

Kendrick, who went on the injured list with a left hamstring injury on Sept. 9 and then was shut down for the season, said he wants to get healthy and talk to his family before deciding whether to extend his career.