WASHINGTON -- Paul Toboni is only a few days into his new role as the Nationals president of baseball operations. Before he tackles a busy offseason with managerial, front office and roster questions, he first wants to get to know the organization from a people standpoint.
“The [front office] perspective I have is coming from the Red Sox organization, what the structure looked like there, obviously having some understanding of what the structures look like around baseball,” Toboni, who spent 10 years with Boston and ascended to senior vice president and assistant general manager, said. “So that informs how I think through this. But am I completely tied to that? No, not at all. I think we can be stubborn on the vision that we have, but flexible on the details of achieving it.”
It remains to be seen how Toboni addresses the possibility of hiring a general manager. The Nationals named long-time front office member Mike DeBartolo the interim GM after parting ways with former GM and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July. DeBartolo, who joined the Nats in 2012 as an intern, served as senior vice president and assistant GM prior to the appointment.
“As it relates to the general manager position, these folks have been great in their support with me where if it's something that I think is in the best interest of the organization, we can do it,” Toboni said. “At the same time, I don't think it's a definite yes or no at this point in time.
“What I would say about Mike, and I've told Mike this prior to me accepting this job, I had about 10 people reach out just saying unbelievable things about him as a person and as a baseball mind. I told him he was shooting 10-for-10 from the line. This is before I even met him. In my early interactions with him -- once again, it’s just been two or three days -- I see a lot of that and I think the world of him. So I’m excited to work alongside him.”
Members of the front office, including DeBartolo, were in attendance at Toboni’s introductory press conference. As Toboni gets settled into the job, he will gain a greater sense of each staff member.
“I would say this about anyone in the organization -- it’s not just Mike -- I need time to really get to know these folks,” Toboni said. “I've known Mike for probably 60 hours now. So I just need to spend a little bit more time around him and everyone else in the organization to start really making those decisions.”
The Nationals are among the teams in need of filling a coaching staff for next season. Already this offseason, the Giants (Bob Melvin), Twins (Rocco Baldelli), Rangers (Bruce Bochy), Angels (Ron Washington and interim Ray Montgomery) and Braves (Brian Snitker) have parted ways with their managers.
Former bench coach Miguel Cairo was appointed interim manager after Dave Martinez was fired from the role on July 6. The Nationals went 29-43 under Cairo, who previously managed 34 games with the 2022 White Sox. Toboni has been exchanging text messages with Cairo and plans to speak with him further.
“I want to sit with Miguel and learn him as a person,” Toboni said. “More than anything, I want him to understand my vision for the role before sharing it with everyone.”
When it comes to the roster, Toboni values the connections with the players. When he was hired by the Nationals, he received phone calls and messages from players in the Red Sox organization, ranging from the Florida Coast League to the Major Leagues. Those links are meaningful to him, and he has already begun reaching out to Nats players to establish communication.
“Building relationships [is] one of my favorite parts of the game, parts of life, to be honest, and those relationships are important to me,” Toboni said. “... I want them to feel like they are supported.”