Paul Toboni has been introduced as the new president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals. He said Wednesday that he wants to build the…<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON(AP) \u2014 Paul Toboni punctuated many of his sentences by tacking on \u201cRight?\u201d during his introductory news conference as the new president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals<\/a>, which had the effect of sounding as though he wanted to add emphasis while also seeking consensus Wednesday.<\/p>\n Just one example, from when he stated quite a lofty goal: \u201cI\u2019m stepping into this role with a clear vision, and that vision is to be the highest-performing organization in all of sports. I want to help build something that becomes the envy of all sports, right?\u201d<\/p>\n A moment later, Toboni acknowledged with a smile: \u201cWe have a lot of work to do. That\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n This move signaled, in many ways, a starting over for the Nationals, who fired president and general manager Mike Rizzo<\/a> and manager Dave Martinez<\/a> in July. They have endured six consecutive losing seasons since winning the World Series in 2019<\/a>, including a 66-96 record in 2025 that placed Washington 14th out of 15 clubs in the National League.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not happy where we are right now. That\u2019s why we brought in Paul,” owner Mark Lerner said. “And we\u2019re going to get back to where we\u2019re supposed to be. \u2026 Don\u2019t give up on us; we\u2019re going to be there again. Guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n The 35-year-old Toboni, who was joined by his wife and four young sons, along with other family members, at Nationals Park on Wednesday, has spent nearly his entire professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. He was an intern there in 2015, then moved up through their scouting department until becoming an assistant GM in November 2023. He had been expected to be a candidate for the general manager job in Boston under chief baseball officer Craig Breslow<\/a>.<\/p>\n Toboni vowed to meld analytics with old-fashioned scouting while building what he called a \u201cplayer development monster.\u201d<\/p>\n Toboni also presented himself as something of a sports junkie, quoting coaching superstars Gregg Popovich of the NBA and Bill Walsh of the NFL, while giving shoutouts to the local Georgetown college and DeMatha high school basketball programs.<\/p>\n Lerner praised the way Toboni \u201cmodernized the draft process\u201d with the Red Sox and touted \u201cthe fresh voice he brings to our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n Both men deflected questions about what sorts of assurances Lerner might have given Toboni about the resources available to build a front office and a roster.<\/p>\n