Nationals Hire Toboni, Name Butera Youngest Manager

The Washington Nationals have filled two major offseason vacancies by hiring 35-year-old Paul Toboni as president of baseball operations and finalizing a deal to make 33-year-old Blake Butera their manager. Toboni, who arrived from the Boston Red Sox, has stocked the front office with scouting and player-development personnel, signaling an organizational emphasis on identifying and developing young talent. Butera, the youngest MLB manager since 1972, joins from the Tampa Bay Rays where he was senior director of player development and compiled a 258–144 minor-league managerial record. The moves follow the Nationals' midseason firings of GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez amid a prolonged rebuild and six consecutive losing seasons since the 2019 World Series. The Toboni–Butera pairing lays out a development-first vision for the franchise, but returning Washington to contention in the deep National League East is expected to take years.