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Miguel Cairo Reportedly Out of Nationals' Managerial Search

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 3:21 PM ET

Some news broke on Wednesday regarding the Washington Nationals' managerial search.

According to Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (subscription required), interim manager from this past season, Miguel Cairo, is not longer being considered for the job opening after he interviewed last week.

That officially ends the speculation that he could be back with the team in the permanent role. While it was largely expected that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was going to hire someone from outside the organization, the fact Cairo interviewed for the job kept his candidacy on the table.

This also comes on the heels of the news that at least two others outside of Cairo were interviewed; former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz. But the latter was hired by the Orioles to become their next skipper, which took a highly-respected candidate off the table for Washington.

What Is Known Right Now About Nationals Managerial Search

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At this point in time, it's good to take stock of where everything is when it comes to this search. Now that Cairo has been told he's no longer being considered and Albernaz is off the board after being hired by Baltimore, the only known candidate in the mix right now is Hyde.

Others could be in the process and others could have been interviewed, but no names have publicly been revealed on that front at the time of writing. Because of that, it's hard to speculate on anything outside of Hyde's involvement, which would be a good hire on paper based on what he did with the Orioles, but it might also be a bit underwhelming for this fanbase.

Other Names Available Who Nationals Could Target

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Right now, there are still plenty of high-end candidates available who the Nationals could pursue. Most notably, there are multiple former managers on the market looking for their next jobs who could be a fit in D.C.

If Toboni wants to go down that route with an established skipper, then the likes of Bob Melvin, David Ross, Rocco Baldelli and Derek Shelton could be an option for them. Out of that group, Ross and Baldelli would likely fit the best based on their experiences with young players.

Washington could also take a swing to see if they can land an up-and-comer. Someone like Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty would fit that bill, as he seems destined to get a managerial job this cycle.

The twists and turns of this search for Toboni and the Nationals now seems to officially be getting underway, and letting Cairo know he's no longer in consideration for the job was the first step.