Though he didn’t literally know Blake Butera before, Paul Toboni felt like he already knew all about the young man he just hired to be Nationals manager, long before either was employed by the franchise.

During Toboni’s 10 years working in the Red Sox front office, Butera’s name came up a number of times. They had overlapping circles of baseball friends. They came from similar backgrounds. Toboni even vaguely remembers scouting Butera when the latter played at Boston College, despite the fact they’re only separated by two years in age.

So when it came time to assemble a list of candidates for the Nats’ open managerial position, Toboni knew he wanted to meet with Butera. And once they did meet on multiple occasions, the 35-year-old president of baseball operations jumped at the opportunity to hire the 33-year-old rookie skipper.

“I really went into this process having an understanding of what I thought it was going to be like, but didn’t honestly know until I really hopped into it,” Toboni said today during a video conference with reporters. “I’m really fortunate that we did reach out to interview him, because he blew me away throughout the process.”

Butera, who worked for the Rays as a minor league manager and front office executive, was hired by the Nationals last week. He won’t be formally introduced for a couple more weeks, because he and his wife just welcomed their first child into the family on the same day he signed his contract.

The introduction of new Orioles manager Craig Albernaz earlier today revealed his sense of humor, passion for the game and the lives he’s intersected with along the way, and how family always is going to be a huge part of who he is both on and off the field.

His first managing act was sitting through a nearly 44-minute press conference with attention split among media and his 2-year-old daughter Gigi, who held and occasionally dropped her Oriole Bird bobblehead and a bottled water meant more as a toy than a means of hydration, engaged in cute conversations with her mother Genevieve and eventually was lifted up by control owner David Rubenstein and handed to Albernaz, who sat her on his lap, kissed her and whispered to her at one point so he could finish his answer.

Handling a 26-man clubhouse should be a breeze.

The crowd also included young sons CJ (8) and Norman (6), and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and his wife Alyssa, who left her seat for a while to play with Gigi away from the dais.

“My kids are the greatest gift I can ever, ever have,” Albernaz said, before his daughter interrupted.

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher ANDREW KITTREDGE from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations.

Kittredge, 35, went 4-3 with five saves, 15 holds, and a 3.40 ERA (20 ER/53.0 IP) on 41 hits (7 HR), 11 walks (1 IBB), and 64 strikeouts in 54 appearances between the Orioles and Cubs in 2025.

On July 31, Kittredge was traded from Baltimore to Chicago in exchange for minor league shortstop WILFRI DE LA CRUZ. De La Cruz, 18, is currently ranked as the No. 20 Orioles prospect by Baseball America and No. 24 by MLB Pipeline.

The Orioles have made the following roster move:

• Agreed to terms with LHP Josh Walker on a one-year major league contract for the 2026 season.

The Nationals’ focus since the season ended five weeks ago has been fixed on the remaking of the front office and now the manager’s office as well. At some point, though, Paul Toboni will need to start addressing the roster of players he has inherited.

The new president of baseball operations has actually made a few transactions in the last week, letting several players go via the outright waivers process in order to clear up space on the 40-man roster. That roster now has 37 players on it with the activation of those who ended the year on the 60-day injured list. So there’s already room to add three players, whether from the outside or from within in the form of prospects who need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

But there’s plenty more that needs to be done, and there are plenty more current players who could be removed in the days and weeks ahead to allow for even more additions.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the state of the organizational depth chart as the offseason commences, getting a sense of what’s already in place and what needs to be addressed. We’ll go position-by-position, with players on the 40-man roster listed first and then some minor leaguers who aren’t listed next (with an asterisk next to their names) …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Riley Adams
Drew Millas
Caleb Lomavita*
Brady Lindsly*
Maxwell Romero Jr.*
Kevin Bazzell*

Baseball’s offseason calendar is loaded with significant dates. A few others develop over the course of the fall and winter.

Today is a prime example.

The media will be introduced to new manager Craig Albernaz at a press conference at Camden Yards that airs live on MASN beginning at 11 a.m. President of baseball operations/general manager Mike Elias and control owner David Rubenstein also will attend.

Albernaz can explain why he viewed the Orioles as a good match. Everything he knows about the organization and what he’s got to learn. Whether he’s spoken to any of his players. His level of confidence that a turnaround is imminent for a team that finished in last place.

What did Albernaz observe about the Orioles from the opposite dugout?

The Orioles are holding onto left-hander Dietrich Enns as part of their offseason business that’s gaining momentum after the World Series.

Rather than exercise a $3 million option on Enns’ contract, the club reached an agreement on a one-year deal with another option for 2027.

Enns, 34, was involved in the last of nine deadline trades this summer, coming to the Orioles in a cash transaction with the Tigers. He made 17 appearances and posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.326 WHIP over 28 2/3 innings. He also recorded two saves.

High-leverage situations kept falling to Enns with the bullpen depleted from four earlier trades and Félix Bautista’s shoulder injury that required surgery on his labrum and rotator cuff. He’s out of minor league options and seemingly in the team’s plans for next season.

It wasn’t easy to predict.

The 2025 Major League Baseball season ended early Sunday morning, in just about as dramatic fashion as possible. Whether you were happy, upset or indifferent to the result, you have to admit Game 7 of the World Series was an all-timer.

Now, as the Dodgers prepare for another victory parade and the Blue Jays come to grips with as narrow a defeat as it gets, the rest of the baseball world enters the offseason. And around here, there’s a lot to do.

It’s already been plenty busy for the Nationals, who named Paul Toboni their new president of baseball operations one month ago and named Blake Butera their new manager four days ago. In between, Toboni made a number of changes to the front office. But there’s still so much more to do, and that’s before we even get to the roster.

There are plenty more openings to fill in the front office, and though Toboni so far has brought in several execs who previously worked alongside him in Boston, he’s also going to need to look outside his comfort zone as he assembles the rest of the baseball operations department. Perhaps next week’s GM Meetings in Las Vegas will provide an opportunity for him to meet with candidates in person.

Butera, meanwhile, needs a coaching staff. The Nationals aren’t holding a press conference to formally introduce the 33-year-old for a couple more weeks because his wife just so happened to give birth to the couple’s first child Thursday, the same day he signed his contract. The club will give him and his growing family time to get settled before flying him up to D.C. for his public unveiling, but in the meantime he needs to start figuring out who is going to work alongside him in the dugout.

The end of the World Series gives teams an exclusive five-day window to negotiate with their own free agents before other clubs can begin making their own pitches.

The Orioles are waiting to be turned loose in the market.

The general manager meetings begin a week from today in Las Vegas, which can ignite trade discussions in the Orioles’ quest for pitching and an impact bat. It’s time to ditch the quiet period and get loud.

Among the questions I’ve posed in recent weeks involve cramming five starters into the rotation, who bats first, who’s in center field, does Tyler O’Neill homer again on Opening Day, will some starters be on innings limits, what happens to Albert Suárez, if any starters could move to the bullpen, what the Orioles will get from Trevor Rogers, and who leads the staff in innings.

Here's another one for the discussion.

The Dodgers aren’t the easiest team to replicate. 

Now back-to-back World Series champions, Los Angeles is reaping the benefits of the highest payroll in the game highlighted by, arguably, the best to ever do it. Multiple MVPs fill the top of the lineup while Cy Young winners take the mound. 

The Blue Jays, though, were right there. 

Hardly a small-market team themselves, Toronto was a play or two away from their first title since 1993. Their star first baseman put together one of the best postseasons of all time, an unheralded utility man was mere feet away from immortality, and a few grizzled veterans nearly pushed them over the top. 

The Orioles are hoping to join them at the summit. 

PLAYER REVIEW: TREVOR WILLIAMS

Age on Opening Day 2026: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2024

MLB service time: 9 years, 27 days

2025 salary: $7 million

The World Series is over, which begins the official countdown to the start of free agency. The exact time is 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Teams also must decide whether to make qualifying offers to their free agents, with the cost rising to $22.025 million. The Orioles won’t float it past Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano or Gary Sánchez.

Eflin seemed like a candidate earlier in the year, before a third trip to the injured list led to lower-back surgery in August.

Teams receive a compensatory draft pick if a player declines the offer and signs with another organization. The risk, of course, is having the player accept it.

The Orioles in theory could allow Eflin to test free agency and try to negotiate a short-term deal, the ol’ pillow contract that gives him an opportunity to reestablish his value. The club, in turn, would have a veteran, track record starter for the back end of their rotation. He wouldn’t be in line to repeat as Opening Day starter.

The Orioles didn’t announce any other roster moves following Thursday’s doubleheader. They slipped back into quiet mode.

One-year major league contracts were given to reliever Rico Garcia and infielder Luis Vázquez, keeping them in the organization without offering any assurances about their status for 2026.

They can help to fill two of the team’s needs. The bullpen is hollow. The infield lacks a real utility player since Ramón Urías was traded. But there’s going to be competition in camp.

To make sense of it, remember what the Orioles did with corner infielder Emmanuel Rivera. They reached an agreement last November on a $1 million deal, making him the first of their arbitration-eligible players to receive a contract.

Rivera was designated for assignment multiple times and no one claimed him on waivers, with his salary being a detriment. The plan worked. He provided some depth at Triple-A.

PLAYER REVIEW: PJ POULIN

Age on Opening Day 2026: 29

How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Tigers, August 2025

MLB service time: 55 days

2025 salary: $760,000

New Orioles manager Craig Albernaz will have a different bench coach in his first season at the helm.

Robinson Chirinos won’t return in 2026, according to an industry source.

Chirinos was hired prior to 2025, his first coaching position at any level. He kept the job through manager Brandon Hyde and interim manager Tony Mansolino, who was promoted from third base coach on May 17.

The Orioles didn’t bring back Fredi González as bench coach following the 2024 season, leaving Hyde with a less experienced staff. Mansolino replaced him in the dugout, and the Orioles hired John Mabry as senior advisor.

To be determined is whether the club will give Albernaz, who’s a first-time manager, a veteran coach in the dugout.

Once the initial shock of Thursday’s news – They hired who? He’s how old? He’s never played or coached above what level? – wore off, the case for the Nationals’ hiring of Blake Butera as their new manager crystalized.

Yeah, he’s only 33 years old, but he’s already got an impressive background as a highly successful minor league manager and senior director of player development for the Rays. He and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni appear to share many baseball philosophies, from analytics to helping turn young players into good big league players. He was viewed within the industry as a future star, so why not snag him now before his profile grew and another franchise claimed him instead?

"I've always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role," Toboni in officially announcing the hiring this morning. "Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level. He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C."

There are a number of reasons Butera makes sense for the Nationals right now. Which doesn’t make his hiring any less of a gamble for Toboni and the Lerner family.

Let’s be clear: This is a huge gamble. He’s about to become the youngest manager in Major League Baseball since 1972. And it’s not like he’s a well-known former big league player who was given a managerial job with little experience like David Ross, Stephen Vogt or Kurt Suzuki. Nor does he make up for his lack of professional experience with a track record as head coach of an elite college program like Tony Vitello.

On what was supposed to be a quiet off-day from this year’s very entertaining World Series, the Nationals made headlines Thursday by reportedly hiring Blake Butera to be their new manager.

At just 33 years old, Butera will become the youngest major league manager since the Twins hired Frank Quilici in 1972, an odd connection to the former edition of the Washington baseball team.

Butera comes from the Rays, where he mostly worked in the minor league system. So what do we know about him?

He most recently served as Tampa Bay’s senior director of player development over the past two years. Before that, he spent one season as a minor league coach and then four as a manager on the Rays farm, which has been highly regarded as one of the best player development systems in baseball. He took his first job as manager when he was just 25 years old, three years after the Rays selected him in the 35th round of the 2015 MLB Draft as an infielder out of Boston College.

The Louisiana native went 258-144 (.642) in his four years managing short-season Single-A Hudson Valley and Single-A Charleston with four first-place finishes. In his final two seasons at the helm in Charleston, he went 170-82 (.675) and won back-to-back Carolina League championships.

Focus on the Orioles has shifted from the managerial search to the coaching staff, but there’s also pending roster business that heats up after the World Series. Decisions on options and non-tender candidates, setting the 40-man, crafting a plan to ditch last place and jump back into the playoffs.

It’s always interesting to get an outsider’s perspective, a scout from another organization who’s tracked the team and some of its affiliates.

You could fill a room with them and everyone would agree that the Orioles must join the race to find arms.

“Baltimore is starting to figure some things out pitching-wise. They really have,” a scout said.

“There’s some guys who are really starting to progress and making some strides, but Baltimore’s got to get some pitching. Starting pitching and bullpen. But they’re gonna be in line with a lot of other organizations to get it.

The Orioles have decisions to make with their 40-man roster as players on the 60-day injured list are reinstated after the World Series.

Rico Garcia is holding onto his spot.

The right-hander signed a one-year major league contract earlier today to thrust himself into the bullpen picture for 2026, though he’s got to hold onto the job in camp.

Garcia, who turns 32 in January, appeared in 20 games with the Orioles and posted a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings. They claimed him on waivers from the Mets on Aug. 5.

Garcia also pitched for the Yankees and compiled a 3.15 ERA and 1.194 ERA in 29 appearances this summer. His five-year major league career includes six appearances with the Orioles in 2022.

The Nationals are working to finalize a deal to name 33-year-old Blake Butera as their next manager, an out-of-the-box hiring of someone who never played or coached above Single-A but was highly regarded for his work leading the Rays’ much-touted player development system.

The expected hiring of Butera, which was confirmed by a source familiar with the decision, would make him Major League Baseball’s youngest manager since 1972, not to mention thrust a previously little-known figure in the sport into a high-profile job in the nation’s capital.

Unconventional as the move – which was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan – may sound, Butera appears to align well with new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. Well-versed in analytics and player development, Butera shares many of the qualities that made Toboni, 35, the choice of Nationals ownership to reshape the organization after 17 years under former general manager Mike Rizzo.

Butera has been employed by the Rays in one capacity or another since 2015, when the former infielder was selected in the 35th round of the MLB Draft out of Boston College. The Louisiana native played only two seasons of professional ball, never advancing beyond the short-season Single-A level, but he immediately went into coaching upon his retirement and spent the next decade working in a variety of roles for Tampa Bay.

By 2018, at the age of 25, Butera was named manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades and led that short-season Single-A club to the first of two consecutive first-place finishes in the New York-Penn League. He was promoted to manager of the low Single-A Charleston River Dogs in 2021 and led that team to back-to-back Carolina League titles, with an 88-44 record in 2022.