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Paul Toboni Reveals His First Priority As Nationals' President of Baseball Operations

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 1:32 PM ET

A new era has arrived in the nation's capital for the Washington Nationals

After firing longtime executive Mike Rizzo in the middle of the season, it was clear some changes were going to be ushered in when it came to how this organization was going to be run. But just how aggressive and how sweeping those changes were going to be wasn't clear.

Well, owner Mark Lerner likely shocked a lot of people when he hired up-and-coming executive Paul Toboni away from the Boston Red Sox, making him the youngest president of baseball operations in Major League Baseball at just 35 years old. With a background in scouting and a more modern approach to running a baseball team, the Nationals are ushering in an era with Toboni that they hope will get them back into contention.

Toboni's hire was made official on Oct. 1. And now that he has taken the reins of this franchise, he is starting to formulate a plan for how he is going to get things back on track in Washington.

Hiring a Manager is Paul Toboni's First Priority

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All new executives have a different approach for how they want to get things started under their leadership, but Toboni has already determined his No. 1 priority now that he's taken over. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, figuring out who is going to manage this team going forward is at the top of his list.

"First on Toboni's list of priorities: finding a new manager. He said he has texted with interim manager Miguel Cairo and plans to talk with him in the next week as the Nationals 'move quickly' to fill the job, with six managerial spots currently vacant and three more -- Washington, Atlanta and Colorado -- potentially needing replacements," the insider reported.

Getting that taken care of will be important. With many jobs now open that could be more attractive to top candidates than taking over in Washington, getting the correct person in place to lead the clubhouse will be key for Toboni.

As such, it's interesting to hear Miguel Cairo is being considered. While the likelihood of him getting the full-time job after serving as the interim to close the regular season is slim, the fact he's going to be interviewed at all is notable.

Which direction Toboni takes when it comes to this opening isn't clear, either. He could opt to go with a more veteran figure to guide this young roster forward or he could search for a rising star who fits the timeline of this rebuild.

No matter what he decides, it sounds like hiring a new manager will be the first domino to fall this offseason.