Paul Toboni Reportedly Finalizing Contract as Nationals' Top Exec After Red Sox Stint

Nearly three months after firing Mike Rizzo as their general manager, the Washington Nationals have found their new top executive to run baseball operations.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Nationals are finalizing a deal to name Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their head of baseball operations.

After a 6-4 loss to the Red Sox on July 6 that dropped their record to 37-53, the Nationals announced the firings of Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez.

The timing of the move raised a lot of eyebrows because the Nationals owned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB draft, which took place on July 13 and 14. Throwing your front office into upheaval one week before that seemed like a questionable decision.

On merit, however, Rizzo had not done anything to suggest he was getting the Nationals closer to contention. They haven't had a winning season since defeating the Houston Astros to win the 2019 World Series.

In the five seasons since that triumphant moment, the Nationals' 288 wins were tied with the Colorado Rockies for the fewest in MLB. They have already clinched their fifth last-place finish in the NL East in the past six seasons with a 64-94 record.

Rizzo has also done a bad job of replenishing the farm system in the wake of key players from that World Series team like Stephen Strasburg, Juan Soto and Max Scherzer no longer being on the roster.

MLB.com ranked the Nationals as having the No. 23 farm system in the sport in a midseason update posted on Aug. 13.

Toboni has been working with the Red Sox since 2015 when he started as an intern in the baseball operations department. He became their director of amateur scouting in 2019.

The Red Sox promoted Toboni to the role of senior vice president and assistant general manager in November 2023. He was a prominent member of the group that brought in players like Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.