Nationals finalizing deal with Red Sox’s Toboni as new general manager

The Washington Nationals have found their next general manager.

The team is finalizing a deal to hire Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni, according to multiple reports.

The Nationals fired the World Series-winning general manager and manager duo of Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez amid their sixth-straight losing season in July. Rizzo had been GM since 2009 and added the title of president of baseball operations in 2013.

The franchise appointed Mike DeBartolo as the interim general manager, leading the team through a busy trade deadline and a draft that saw the Nationals hold the No. 1 overall pick. It was not immediately clear whether Toboni would keep DeBartolo in the front office or perhaps hire a new person to hold the title of general manager.

Toboni, 35, has spent nearly 11 years in Boston, working his way up from baseball operations intern and area scout to his current role as senior vice president and assistant general manager in November 2023. He started his career in 2013 as an intern with the Oakland Athletics. He had been expected to be a candidate for the general manager job in Boston under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

Several top executives have left the Nationals organization since Rizzo was fired in July. Former Scouting Director Danny Haas resigned and joined the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month. Brad Ciolek, who was Washington’s senior director of amateur scouting, left the Nationals on Monday to join the Detroit Tigers. 

The Nationals have a 64-94 record after a 4-3 win over the Braves on Wednesday.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.