The Washington Nationals finished the 2025 season with a losing record for the sixth straight year. Washington hasn’t reached the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2019. After a dismal 37-53 start this season, the Nationals fired manager Dave Martinez and longtime general manager Mike Rizzo.
The hunt is on for a new manager in Washington. The team interviewed Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz and interim manager Miguel Cairo for the position this week, per The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden. The organization may consider additional candidates as well.
Cairo was promoted to interim manager after Martinez was dismissed in July. He originally joined the Nationals as the team’s bench coach in 2024. While placed in a difficult position after a rocky start to the season, Cairo was not able to turn things around. Washington finished the year 29-43 with Cairo at the helm.
Nationals seek new manager during front office rebuild
The Nationals hired Paul Toboni to replace Rizzo as president of baseball operations. Toboni comes from the Red Sox organization, where he served as assistant GM.
Washington’s shakeup didn’t stop at manager and GM. Since taking over as the team’s president, Toboni has overhauled the front office. The Nationals moved on from a number of employees, including the organization’s two longest-tenured executives.
Toboni initiated a complete teardown of the operations side of the franchise in his first month in charge. The moves make it difficult to believe the team will hire Cairo as the sweeping changes feel partly symbolic for a team that needs a fresh start. Although, Cairo had only been with Washington for two seasons, so perhaps he isn’t viewed as part of the old guard.
Martinez was hired to manage the Nationals in 2018. The following year he won the only World Series championship in team history. Since then, he didn't win much at all, finishing with a 500-622 record as Washington’s skipper.
Martinez had been, by far, the team’s longest-tenured manager since the Lerner family purchased the franchise in 2006. In fact, he was the only manager who lasted more than three seasons with the Nationals. Martinez was fired in the middle of his eighth year with Washington.
Rizzo joined the franchise in 2007, just two years after it left Montreal and became the Washington Nationals. He started as assistant general manager and worked his way up to GM in 2009. Rizzo became GM and president of baseball operations in 2013.
