WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Toboni punctuated many of his sentences by tacking on “Right?” during his introductory news conference as the new president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals, which had the effect of sounding as though he wanted to add emphasis while also seeking consensus Wednesday.
Just one example, from when he stated quite a lofty goal: “I’m stepping into this role with a clear vision, and that vision is to be the highest-performing
organization in all of sports. I want to help build something that becomes the envy of all sports, right?”
A moment later, Toboni acknowledged with a smile: “We have a lot of work to do. That’s OK.”
This move signaled, in many ways, a starting over for the Nationals, who fired president and general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez in July. They have endured six consecutive losing seasons since winning the World Series in 2019, including a 66-96 record in 2025 that placed Washington 14th out of 15 clubs in the National League.
“We’re not happy where we are right now. That’s why we brought in Paul," owner Mark Lerner said. "And we’re going to get back to where we’re supposed to be. … Don’t give up on us; we’re going to be there again. Guaranteed.”
The 35-year-old Toboni, who was joined by his wife and four young sons, along with other family members, at Nationals Park on Wednesday, has spent nearly his entire professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. He was an intern there in 2015, then moved up through their scouting department until becoming an assistant GM in November 2023. He had been expected to be a candidate for the general manager job in Boston under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
Toboni vowed to meld analytics with old-fashioned scouting while building what he called a “player development monster.”
Toboni also presented himself as something of a sports junkie, quoting coaching superstars Gregg Popovich of the NBA and Bill Walsh of the NFL, while giving shoutouts to the local Georgetown college and DeMatha high school basketball programs.
Lerner praised the way Toboni “modernized the draft process” with the Red Sox and touted “the fresh voice he brings to our organization.”
Both men deflected questions about what sorts of assurances Lerner might have given Toboni about the resources available to build a front office and a roster.
Washington’s payroll of about $107 million on opening day this season ranked just 24th out of 30 clubs in the majors.
“I felt incredibly supported,” Toboni said, “and that’s the main thing.”
Toboni said he wanted to talk to interim manager Miguel Cairo before speaking publicly about plans for that position. Toboni also declined to offer anything definitive about the future of interim general manager Mike DeBartolo — or even whether there will be a GM in the front office.
“I don’t think it’s a definite ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ at this point in time,” Toboni said.
Asked whether he has a timetable in mind for getting back to the postseason, Toboni avoided that one, too.
“What I don’t want to do is throw something out there and then have all of you (reporters) and the fan base tie me to that year or that timing, right?” he said. “What I tell myself, what I'm going to tell everyone in baseball operations, and what I’ve told ownership is: I don’t think that should be the concern. Let's just work on really, really creating a strong foundation so that we can be successful for years to come.”
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