Paul Toboni discusses role as Nationals president of baseball operations

Paul Toboni is up for the task.

Named the Nationals President of Baseball Operations at 35 years old, Toboni is bringing the combination of a fresh perspective, a decade of experience with a historic organization and an appreciation of successful sports leadership to Washington, D.C.

“More than anything, we have a lot of work to do — don’t get me wrong — and I think we can be honest with the current assessment of the organization,†Toboni said. “At the same time, we’re going to achieve what we want to achieve. Itâ€s going to take a little bit of time, but we’re hell-bent on doing it, and we’re going to embrace the challenge.â€

The Nationals officially announced the hiring of Toboni, who most recently had served as the Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager, on Wednesday. The team parted ways with former GM and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July, following a 17-year tenure.

The youth-heavy Nats finished the season 66-96. They have not posted a winning record since capturing the 2019 World Series.

“I think it starts with creating a scouting and player development monster,†said Toboni. “We talk about James Wood, Daylen Lyle, Dylan Crews, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams, all these players at the Major League level that are young and talented; the more of those type players that we have matriculating to the big leagues, the better off we’re going to be.

“If we can just do a really, really good job identifying, acquiring, developing that talent, and then we create really a great culture around development and accountability and hard work and all the things that we hold sacred, Bill Walsh, the famous NFL Coach, says the score will take care of itself.â€

What drew Toboni to the Nationals role?
Toboni was largely expected to be a candidate for the Red Sox GM position this winter. Before accepting the job with the Nationals, he and his wife, Danielle, considered what it would mean for his career and family; they have four young sons, ages 6, 5, 3 and 1.

“To be honest, at the start I wasn’t totally sure I was going to be interested,†Toboni said. “My wife and I are pretty unique in that we had told ourselves we were going to keep a pretty high bar for the opportunity that might come our way as it relates to this position.

“The one thing that I knew from the outset that was important to both my wife and I — and obviously our kids — was that the city was something that we love. A world-class city — food, culture, diversity, all those things, we were just drawn to it.

“Then, the culture of sports within the city, too. Not just all the professional sports teams, but I’m a basketball fan, so Georgetown hoops and Howard hoops. I think about all the high school sports, WCA [Washington Christian Academy] and Gonzaga [College High School] and all those schools. Thereâ€s such a deep culture of sports in the area, so the whole city was a big draw from the start.

“But even with that, I wasn’t totally sure it was going to be the right opportunity for us. Then I got around the ownership group, and we were just very much aligned on how we saw things. I found them an incredibly warm, humble, grounded group of people that love baseball and are super competitive. More than anything, [they] had values that align with mine. So the more I was around them, my wife and I both thought that this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.â€

How will Toboni approach the managerial search?
One of Toboniâ€s top to-dos will be selecting a manager for next season. The Nationals fired Dave Martinez in July, and Miguel Cairo held the interim role for the remainder of the season. Toboni described previous Major League managerial experience as “one variable to consider, but it’s definitely not everything.â€

“I think, honestly, it starts with joy,†Toboni said. “You want to be around people that are optimistic and stay positive through the ups and the downs. The Major League season is a long season, and there are inevitably going to be downs. You want someone that’s still going to be walking into the building every day and adding energy to the room. I think it starts there.

“I talked about humility; I think you have to be open-minded and curious about learning new things. [Hall of Fame basketball coach] Gregg Popovich talks about ‘getting over yourself.†We want people that have gotten over themselves and don’t take themselves too seriously.

“Integrity is huge to me. … Are you dependable? Do you hold yourself accountable? Do you follow through on things when you say you will do things? That’s really important to me.

“Lastly, certainly not least, you want someone that’s competitive. I like to say, weâ€re going to make the scoreboard visible. … Itâ€s been a huge part of my life and my sports career. We’re going to be competitive, we’re going to keep score, and we’re going to thrive in that environment. I think the manager has to be setting the tone in that respect.â€

What lessons will Toboni incorporate from his tenure with the Red Sox?
On his journey to his final roles with the Red Sox, Toboni ascended from area scout to VP of amateur scouting and player development. Notable Boston Draft picks in recent years included Marcelo Mayer (2021), Roman Anthony (‘22) and Kristian Campbell (‘24). Rookies Connelly Early (‘23) and Payton Tolle (‘24) earned a spot on the Wild Card series roster.

“They weren’t identical positions, but the Red Sox were in a pretty similar position in 2019,†Toboni said. “We had been successful [winning the 2018 World Series], but then we were kind of getting ready to fall off a cliff, so to speak, and the farm system wasn’t great. I think there was this huge need to identify, acquire and develop players, young players, so we set out on this mission to do so. I think the Red Sox have made a lot of strides over the years in that respect. … Iâ€m pretty confident that I can help make the Nationals better in that respect. Ultimately, I think it’ll ideally lead to bringing in a good amount of talent into the organization.â€

How does Toboni view analytics?
When looking at analytics, Toboni considers his work experiences in Major League Baseball, along with his personal experiences as a collegiate baseball player at Cal, where he competed in the Menâ€s College World Series in 2011.

“I am a strong believer in the value of analytics,†Toboni said. “Having said that, I’m also a strong believer in the value of area scouting and a strong believer in the value of coaching. I’ve been on the receiving end of it as a player. I know how magical it can be when you have a coach that you really connect with, that you feel their care for you, you feel yourself getting better, and how addicting that can be. There’s huge power in that.

“I think at the same time, it’s a little bit of a false choice: Are you analytics or are you a more traditional background? I think just finding out how to integrate the two is kind of where the magic lies, so to speak, because there’s huge power in both those areas. I think it all circles back to getting people that are humble enough and open-minded enough to see the value in those spaces.â€

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