The Washington Nationals announced on Wednesday afternoon the hire of Red Sox's assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The Nationals fired Mike Rizzo from the position a few months ago on July 6. Rizzo was the Nationals' head of baseball operations for the previous 12 years, and had been with the team since 2007.
Now, over three months later, Washington has found their new head of baseball operations in Toboni, who's widely regarded as one of the best young executives in baseball, to lead the Nationals
Nationals Hire Red Rox's Paul Toboni
Toboni rose very quickly in the Red Sox organization after starting his career as an intern in 2015. By 2023, Toboni had become the Red Sox's assistant GM, and now he'll head to Washington as the head of baseball operations.
The young executive was part of the team that drafted numerous young, talented prospects for the Red Sox, including outfielder Roman Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer.
BREAKING: The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to name Paul Toboni their new head of baseball operations, sources tell ESPN. Toboni, 35, rose rapidly to become assistant GM for the Boston Red Sox and is widely regarded as one of the best young executives in MLB.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 24, 2025
Now, he'll take his talents to the Nationals as they continue their rebuild. Washington enters Wednesday with a 64-94 record, with four games remaining in 2025.
The Nationals have not had a winning season since 2019, when they won the World Series. Washington's highest win total since its 2019 season was 71 wins in 2023 and 2024, and the Nationals have finished in last place in their division in four of the last five years.
After Washington fired both its manager and GM earlier this season, the Nationals are turned a new leaf heading into 2026 and Toboni will be at the center of it as the new head of baseball operations.