So the Craig Albernaz dreams died pretty quickly for the Washington Nationals. Just a day after it was reported that he interviewed for the job, Jeff Passan reported that he was taking the Baltimore Orioles job instead. I wrote that Albernaz was my favorite candidate, so seeing him go to a rival is tough.
Albernaz was one of the hottest names this managerial cycle after earning a big reputation with his work as Steven Vogt’s right hand man in Cleveland. The Guardians have constantly punched above their weight the last few years, and it seems like Albernaz has been a big part of that since he arrived in 2024.
Based on all the buzz around his name, it feels like Albernaz could take his pick of managerial gigs. He interviewed for a number of jobs, including the Nats. It was just a couple days ago that Andrew Golden reported that he had interviewed with the team.
Albernaz must have decided that the Orioles job was better. Honestly, he is probably right about that. For the 2026 season, the O’s have a much better chance of winning. While 2025 was a weird year for them, it is easy to imagine them being bounce back candidates. They made the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. Assuming Mike Elias learns from his mistakes and builds a better pitching staff, they will be right back in the mix in a tough AL East division.
The Nats are much less of a win now team. They have not had a winning season since 2019 and regressed in the win column in 2025. While the idea of being tied at the hip with Toboni could be exciting, it will take a little while for the Nats to become serious contenders.
With Albernaz out of the picture, who will be the Nats manager? Well, speaking of Baltimore, their old manager is probably the favorite right now. It was recently reported that Brandon Hyde interviewed for the job. The old O’s manager helped steward their rebuild and lead them back to the playoffs. He has a lot of experience working with young players, which is a feather in his cap.
Now that Albernaz is out of the picture, Hyde and Miguel Cairo are the only candidates we know the Nats have interviewed. I would be pretty stunned if the Nats hired Cairo, so Hyde is definitely a name to circle. It will be interesting to see if more interviews become public now too.
Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez is certainly a name to circle. He has gotten interviews this cycle and we know Toboni is more than willing to hire from his old team. Another guy I would like to see interviewed is former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. He did a good job in Minnesota and is a good combination of youth and experience.
Losing out on Albernaz to a rival is a blow, but there are still plenty of names out there. Now that the interviews are becoming public and more jobs are starting to fill, this process will start to accelerate. I am very curious to see who Paul Toboni hires as manager of the Washington Nationals.
