Cincinnati Reds Lose Promising Assistant Coach to Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are hiring Simon Matthews to be the team's pitching coach, according to Russell Dorsey of Yahoo Sports.

The 30-year-old has been with the Reds since 2021 and served as the organization's assistant pitching coach during the 2025 season.

The Nationals hired Blake Butera to be their manager in late October. Butera, 33, will be the youngest MLB manager since 1972.

Cincinnati's pitching staff has been impressive under Derek Johnson and they've seen multiple coaches get promotions with other teams. Eric Jagers moved on and is now the Mets VP of Pitching and Alon Leichman is now the Marlins Assistant Pitching Director.

The Reds posted a 3.86 team ERA in 2025, the 12th-best mark in Major League Baseball. They were even sharper in limiting baserunners, finishing with a 1.22 WHIP, which was seventh-best in the majors.

Cincinnati hired Derek Johnson away from the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018.

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The Washington Nationals are hiring Simon Matthews to be the team’s pitching coach, sources tell me and @Jake_Mintz. Matthews, who’s been with the Cincinnati Reds since 2021, had been serving as the team’s assistant pitching coach.
— Russell Dorsey (@Russ_Dorsey1) November 11, 2025