Yesterday Barry Svrluga reported that the Nats hired Jason Sinnarajah as the President of Business Operations. He was previously with the Kansas City Royals and has also worked for the Buffalo Bills. It looks like the new era of Nationals baseball is not just happening on the baseball operations side.
Obviously, baseball is more than just a sport, it is also a big business. Sports teams have a business side and a sporting side. Paul Toboni and Ani Kilambi will be running the baseball side of things, while Sinnarajah takes care of the business side.
However, these two sides of the operation are not totally separate either. Both sides of the franchise need to be working together. In a statement, Sinnarajah said he was excited to work alongside Toboni, which I found interesting.
Sinnarajah will report directly to ownership and clearly will play a big role in this operation. The business side of baseball is not really in my wheelhouse, but it is clear that he will be a big voice in the organization.
I like that he is an experienced leader who has worked in multiple different sports. He knows what a functioning operation looks like. Hopefully he can bring that here to the Nats.
Sinnarajah will play a big role in shaping what the ballpark experience is like. That was mentioned in the statement. There are certainly ways he could help liven up that experience.
Interestingly, Sinnarajah will not have the ability to hire one of his main deputies. The Nats already hired a chief revenue officer. Chris Zaber was hired from the Pittsburgh Penguins back in August. Assuming those two are aligned, there should not be much of an issue. However, things could get hairy if the alignment is not there.
Another fun part of this hire is the new Indian presence in the Nats organization. Between Sinnarajah and Ani Kilambi, the Nats have hired two men of Indian heritage to major positions in the organization. That is pretty cool and is a sign of baseball’s growth as a sport.
The Washington Nationals are embarking on a new era. That is now extending beyond just the team itself. Obviously, the Nats have a new front office and coaching staff, but their rebuild is expanding beyond that. The Lerner family is also rebuilding the business side of the operation as well. Hiring Jason Sinnarajah as the President of Business Operations is proof of that.
