Paul Toboni has already made big moves in his first week or so as Nationals President of Baseball Operations. He has fired a lot of the front office and Minor League coaching staff. So we know he is busy.
However, one thing we have not gotten a lot of clarity on is the managerial search.
News on who will be the full time replacement for Davey Martinez has been fairly quiet. Outside of speculation, the Nationals have not been connected to any specific outside candidates. The only person we know who is being considered for the job is Interim Manager Miguel Cairo.
Yesterday, while on the radio, Toboni said he had told Cairo that he was a candidate for the job, but that the organization would be conducting an extensive search. That search has not kicked off quite yet according to Toboni, but he hopes to start it soon.
This makes some sense. Toboni has had a lot of work to do in his brief time on the job. He has been evaluating the current Nationals employees and has had to let go of a lot of those people. Clearly, his number one priority was evaluating what was already in house before looking for replacements.
Looking for managers right now is also complicated. While there are plenty out of work managers you can interview, there are also people you cannot access. If Toboni wants someone who is on the staff of a team still in the playoffs, he will have to wait. However, you have to balance that with the need to act quickly.
Toboni did not commit to any specific timeline, but if I had to guess, they would want a manager within the next month. You do not want the uncertainty hanging over everyone’s head for too long. The same goes for the current coaching staff, which still has not officially been let go.
However, according to the Washington Post, people familiar with the situation said that the current coaches would be shocked if they came back. Based on the big changes Toboni has made elsewhere, the poor season the Nats had and the fan displeasure with the coaching staff, I think their read is correct. The Post also said the Nats wouldn’t stop the coaches from exploring job opportunities elsewhere.
The other big question is what kind of manager do the Nationals want? Davey Martinez was an old school guy, but also a player’s coach. A lot of times teams like to hire the opposite of the old guy, so it is important to keep that in mind.
Toboni did talk a bit about what he is looking for. He said that previous MLB managerial experience is an asset, but not a requirement. That opens the door for Minor League managers, bench coaches and other non-managers to have a crack at the position.
I am very interested to see what Toboni does here. He has a lot of positions to fill after all the firings. The 35 year old has a chance to really put his finger prints on the organization. He wants to shake things up.
With that in mind, I would be quite surprised if the Nats hired Cairo. While Toboni told Cairo he is a candidate, I would not be shocked if that was more of a courtesy move. It is out with the old and in with the new right now in DC. Keeping Cairo would not fit that.
We will keep you guys updated on all of the turnover in the Nations Capital. This is an offseason of change. A new POBO has come in, a new manager is coming and so much of the team personnel from the top down will be different in 2026. This shakeup was needed and should help revitalize the organization.
