Nationals Reportedly Eyeing Current Red Sox Executive for Their GM Role
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The Washington Nationals seem prepared to make a change to their front office this offseason.
After moving on from longtime executive Mike Rizzo and turning things over to Mike DeBartolo on an interim basis, it was unclear which direction the franchise was going to take regarding putting together their front office going forward.
But reports started to circulate that the Nationals were eyeing some outside candidates for the general manager opening, with current Chicago Cubs GM Carter Hawkins being someone who is on their shortlist of targets.
However, Hawkins isn't the only current executive of a high-profile team who Washington has their sights on, as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that current Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni is a candidate as well.
Another candidate for the Nationals’ GM job, per source: Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni. He started with Boston in 2015, working his way up to VP/amateur scouting and player development before becoming an AGM after the 2023 season.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) September 12, 2025
Toboni's background is in scouting. He began his career as a baseball operations intern with the then-Oakland Athletics in 2013. He later joined the Red Sox in 2015 under that same title before working his way up from being an area scout to his current position.
An interesting note in this whole thing is that Boston is also reportedly looking to bring in a general manager under their current president of baseball operations Craig Breslow. Promoting Toboni internally could be something the Red Sox do, but it's also notable that Toboni was not promoted last cycle ahead of the 2025 campaign.
It's unclear at this time whether or not he's going to be considered for that role this time around, but it sounds like he's going to have interest from other organizations around Major League Baseball, with the Nationals now included.
What Mike DeBartolo's Future Could Be With Nationals
DeBartolo has been opining to take over the full-time role for Washington. He's been with the franchise since 2012 when he began as a baseball operations intern, working his way up on the operations side until he reached the assistant general manager role he held prior to him taking over as the interim GM.
If the Nationals do hire from outside the organization, then DeBartolo could wind up with another organization for the first time in his professional career depending on how much of an overhaul takes place.
However, continuity is also important when putting together a front office, and the fact that he has been a key part of the Nationals brass for over a decade could result in the new regime keeping him involved in some capacity.
It will be interesting to see how the dominos fall this upcoming winter when it comes to how Washington puts together their new front office.
