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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 hiring of the youngest MLB manager in five decades, not to mention one who never played nor coached beyond low Single-A in the minors, caught many off-guard. Toboni, though, expressed full confidence in Butera’s ability not only to win over a clubhouse of (admittedly young) major league players but to enjoy significant success in this highly coveted position.
“I think first and foremost, with every new manager, you just don’t know until they’re given the opportunity how they’re going to respond to the challenge, right?” said Toboni, himself one of the youngest heads of baseball operations in the league. “Having said that, I feel actually very good about betting on Blake in this position, and I think it’s so much that just circles back to the person he is and the leader that he is.”
In conducting the first managerial search of his career, Toboni kept an open mind. He considered candidates with prior MLB experience. He considered those with more experience at the upper levels of the minor leagues. But in Butera, he found a candidate he believed fit a specific – perhaps even unique – category that proved quite appealing.
In his four seasons managing for the Tampa Bay organization, Butera not only helped a number of top prospects move up the ladder toward the major leagues, he also won. His teams finished in first place every season, with his Charleston RiverDogs winning back-to-back Carolina League titles in 2021-22. He then moved into a front office role as the Rays senior director of player development, overseeing one of the top farm systems in baseball.
It is unconventional, Toboni acknowledged, for someone to move directly from that position to MLB manager. But after meeting with Butera, he was convinced it was a proper career path in this particular case.
“I think experience can take shape in a number of different ways,” he said. “So, Blake has great perspective in what he’s done in player development. I think he’ll help drive a lot of that at the major league level.”
Butera’s youth and background in player development could be considered a strength in a Nationals clubhouse that features a host of players still in their young 20s. But his lack of big league experience is more than notable, and that makes the makeup of his coaching staff all the more important.
Toboni said today he and Butera will work together to hire that staff. While insisting prior MLB experience is not required, he did suggest it will be important to surround the rookie manager with at least a few trusted voices who have been there and done that before.
“I think this is where Blake’s humility will shine,” Toboni said. “It’s about filling the voids that maybe Blake has. First and foremost, we want folks with character that are aligned with how we want to build this out. But then we want a level of expertise that can take shape in a number of different ways. … We want to create a really well-informed staff that also does a great job connecting with players and staff members. And I think what hopefully will shine through is the diversity of experiences and backgrounds will really play a big role as well.”
Toboni declined to say if any members of the staff that previously worked for Davey Martinez or Miguel Cairo are under consideration to return. It’s believed pitching strategist Sean Doolittle and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson have the best shot among the 2025 staff members of being retained in some capacity.
Toboni also formally outlined the titles and roles of three of his top lieutenants in a restructured front office. Mike DeBartolo, who became interim GM following Mike Rizzo’s firing in July, will be senior vice president and assistant GM, handling baseball operations. The Nationals will not be giving anyone the GM title for the time being.
Devin Pearson, who previously worked with Toboni in Boston and was the Red Sox director of amateur scouting, will be assistant GM and oversee player development. Toboni stressed a desire to build a stronger link between those two critical parts of a baseball front office.
Justin Horowitz, who also previously worked for the Red Sox but most recently was the Pirates director of amateur scouting, will be assistant GM and oversee player acquisitions. That includes at the amateur, professional and international levels.
“I think there’s just a mutual understanding and alignment on how we think it should look,” Toboni said of Pearson and Horowitz. “And they’re both just unbelievable leaders and teammates that I think will seamlessly transition into this organization and create really great relationships in short order.”
