Red Sox Could Lose Rising Star Executive To GM-Less Nationals: Insider

How much front office turnover will there be?

Jul 12, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; An Washington Nationals hat and glove sit in the dugout during batting practice prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

It's nearly time for the Major League Baseball offseason carousel to begin rotating.

Free agency will see hundreds of players change teams, and there will be at least four vacant managerial roles this winter as well. But only one general manager/head of baseball operations job is currently open, which provides a ton of intrigue.

The Washington Nationals fired longtime GM Mike Rizzo in July, giving themselves a head start on the market for executives this winter. And according to one insider, a rising star in the Boston Red Sox front office has caught Washington's eye.

Red Sox Assistant GM Paul Toboni is a candidate for Nationals job

Oct 1, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; A general view of the Washington Nationals' mascots \"President's Race\" in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Nationals Park. The Pirates won 11-8. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

On Thursday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported that the Nationals were interested in Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni, who has been in the Boston organization since 2015, as a candidate for their GM vacancy.

"Another candidate for the Nationals’ GM job, per source: Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni," Feinsand wrote. "He started with Boston in 2015, working his way up to (vice president)/amateur scouting and player development before becoming an AGM after the 2023 season."

Toboni, who played Division I baseball at the University of California, is part of a burgeoning group of assistant GMs under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow in Boston. That group also includes Raquel Ferreira, Mike Groopman, Eddie Romero, and Taylor Smith, who earned a promotion last offseason.

Rob Bradford of WEEI also reported Thursday that the Red Sox and Breslow expect to hire a GM this offseason, who would essentially be Breslow's second-in-command. But although the Nationals' role also may come with a GM title, Toboni would answer to no one in the nation's capital if he were to secure the opportunity.

As the Red Sox look to continue their promising climb toward a championship window, it will be paramount for Breslow to build a stable front office suite. Toboni sticking around is not an inherent prerequisite, but he certainly looks to be a name in Boston worth keeping around, if at all possible.

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