Washington Nationals hats and gloves in the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

New Nationals Boss Hints at Mike DeBartolo’s Future with Franchise

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Paul Toboni is just 35 years old, but the new Washington Nationals president of baseball operations faces huge decisions as he begins his tenure.

The former Boston Red Sox senior vice president, assistant general manager, has never led a franchise on his own. But, with Boston he oversaw the franchise’s draft strategy and player development. Those are both areas the Nats will have to master as they try to snap a streak of six straight losing seasons.

He started with Boston as an intern a decade ago. He played his college baseball at Cal and went to the College World Series in 2011, a team that included current Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien.

Toboni is the first new general manager or president of baseball operations since the Nationals elevated Mike Rizzo to the role in 2009. Team ownership fired him in July, along with manager Davey Martinez. While Toboni needs to hire a new manager, one critical decision is determining whether he should retain interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, who took over the franchise after Rizzo’s firing.

Paul Toboni on Mike DeBartolo

a word, mister president pic.twitter.com/SnAVqj0Etm
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 1, 2025

Toboni said to reporters that he even before he accepted the job that he had people in the business reaching out to him. Some of it was advice on what to do. Some of it was about who he would be replacing — DeBartolo. The consensus was that Toboni should strongly consider keeping Rizzo’s top lieutenant.

“Prior to me accepting this job, I had about 10 people reach out just saying unbelievable things about him as a person and as a baseball mind,” Toboni said to reporters, including MASN.com. “I told him he was shooting 10-for-10 from the line. This is before I even met him. And I think in my early interactions with him —and it’s just been two or three days — I’ve seen a lot of that. I think the world of him. I’m excited to work alongside him.”

DeBartolo has a similar professional history as Toboni. Now 41 years old, DeBartolo joined the Nationals in 2012 as an intern. He worked his way up the ladder, supporting baseball operations, research and development. He was the Nats’ assistant general manager when they won the World Series in 2019. When Rizzo was fired, he was a senior vice president.

His first major personnel decision was drafting shortstop Eli Willits with the No. 1 overall pick. Now, DeBartolo will wait to see how Toboni structures the organization before knowing his future. But, for now, it appears Toboni’s respect will give DeBartolo an inside shot at behind his right-hand man.

This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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