Nationals Officially Name Miguel Cairo Their Interim Manager

The Washington Nationals have officially named Miguel Cairo their interim manager, per an announcement made by the team.

Since they are off on Monday, his first game will come on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It was reported that the former bench coach had been offered the job, but considering his relationship with previous skipper Dave Martinez, it wasn't clear if he would accept the position or not.

But after thinking things over, Cairo will now lead this young Nationals group the rest of the way in 2025.

"Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball," interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said as part of the official announcement. "A diligent worker and student of the game, he has a proven track record of showing strong leadership in a variety of situations, and I believe that his voice and energy will serve as a catalyst to our team and our fan base in the second half of the season."

This, of course, comes after the franchise-altering decision to fire both manager Dave Martinez and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo.

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And with a new person in charge of the front office, the organization has decided to turn the reins over to a well-respected baseball man who had to work for everything he has achieved in his career.

As an undrafted free agent in 1990, Cairo signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers which began his 17-year Major League career.

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Following his retirement from playing after the 2012 season, he stayed in the baseball world by becoming a special assistant to Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty in 2013.

From there, Cairo has worked as both a Major League and minor league coordinator, while also serving as the bench coach under Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa where he actually got some experience as a skipper when the legend had to step away from his post.

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It will be interesting to see how Washington responds to Cairo taking over.

Seen as a future manager at some point in his career, if the Nationals are able to turn things around, then there's a chance he could be leading this new era of baseball in the nation's capital.

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