Josh Byrnes Contacted For Nationals General Manager Role

The Washington Nationals are missing the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season since winning the World Series in 2019 and recently made sweeping changes to their front office by firing longtime general manager Mike Rizzo.

The Nationals named Mike DeBartolo as their interim general manager for the remainder of the 2025 season and now are in the process of finding a long-term fit at the position.

While it’s possible that DeBartolo remains in the role, the Nationals are looking outside of their organization for other candidates as well.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Nationals reached out to Los Angeles Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes about their general manager vacancy:

As the Washington Nationals look for a new head of baseball operations, the club has contacted Chicago Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins, Arizona Diamondbacks executive Amiel Sawdaye and Los Angeles Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes, according to league sources briefed on the search.

The Nationals also are believed to have interviewed Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero as well.

Byrnes is in his 10th season with the Dodgers, where he supervises the club’s scouting and player development, among other responsibilities.

Byrnes has been a popular name over the last few years for teams looking to fill vacancies in their front office. Among other potential roles, he was a candidate to become the Detroit Tigers’ president of baseball operations before they hired Scott Harris.

Josh Byrnes’ MLB career

Byrnes previously served as executive vice president and general manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2005-2010 and San Diego Padres in 2011-2014.

Byrnes began his front office career with the Cleveland Indians, working as an advance scout from 1995-1996 before being promoted to director of scouting in June 1998.

He also served as the Colorado Rockies assistant manager from 1999-2003 before moving to the Red Sox organization for the same role during the 2003-2005 seasons.