Nationals tap Kilambi as GM

Anirudh Kilambi, a highly regarded front office executive with more than 10 years of experience with the Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays, was named general manager of the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcement.

Kilambi, 31, spent the previous four years (2021-25) with the Phillies as an assistant general manager. In his role, he oversaw the club’s research and information departments as well as the club’s use of data throughout all aspects of their organizational decision-making process. He was also a key influence in pro evaluation and strategy, as well as other key areas across baseball operations.

“Ani has earned a reputation around the industry as one of the brightest front office minds in the game,” Toboni said. “He’s not only a sharp and strategic leader who is a great communicator, but he is also thoughtful and humble and aligns with our values. Ani is an excellent complement to the leadership group we have in place, both in terms of his past experiences and who he is as a person.”

“I would like to thank the Lerner, Cohen and Tanenbaum families for trusting our front office to be the stewards of a new era of Nationals baseball, and Paul Toboni for giving me the opportunity to share in his vision,” Kilambi said. “Our goal is to be the highest performing organization in baseball. To do so, we aim to exemplify our core values of joy, humility, integrity and competitiveness, while displaying sharp eyes for talent and best-in-class player development. I’m excited to call Washington, D.C. my home and cannot wait to get started.”

Kilambi spent seven years (2015-21) with the Tampa Bay Rays, elevating to the role of director of decision science in 2021 before joining the Phillies in November of that year. He was Tampa Bay’s assistant director of baseball research and development for three years (2018-21), an analyst in predictive modeling in baseball research and development (2017-18) and an assistant in research and development (2016-17). Kilambi joined the organization as an intern in their baseball research and development department in 2015.

The Rays and Phillies made seven consecutive Postseason appearances with Kilambi on staff, including two trips to the World Series (Tampa Bay in 2020, Philadelphia in 2022).

A 2016 graduate of the University of California Berkeley, Kilambi was a double major, earning bachelor's degrees in statistics as well as operations research and management science. He plans to move to Washington, D.C. with his wife, Sarah, and two cats.