Blake Butera has officially been the Nationals’ new manager for five days. But we won’t hear from the 33-year-old skipper for a couple of weeks while he and his wife, Caroline Margolis, get settled after welcoming their first child, Blair Margaux Butera, literally hours after he signed his new contract.

Thankfully, new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni took questions from members of the local media over a Zoom call yesterday to give his perspective of his first major hire and what ultimately made Butera his choice.

“I think it just starts with the person that Blake is,” Toboni said. “I think he just very much aligns with the values that we hold sacred as an organization. And then, I think Blake's leadership skills really jumped out to us from the get-go. And so I think those two things, in conjunction with each other, were two of the main driving factors. And then also, he's got a pretty unique set of experiences that didn't necessarily lead us to making the decision in isolation, but I think were very beneficial as we considered Blake's candidacy relative to the other candidates.”

That “unique set of experiences” Butera has includes serving as the Rays' senior director of player development over the past two seasons following a successful run as a minor league coach and manager in one of the best farm systems in baseball.

Not many people make the jump from a front office role in player development to first-time major league manager, but Butera now has. Given the Nats’ young group of players (Trevor Williams is the only player on the 40-man roster who is older than the new skipper and only by 3 ½ months) and need to continue developing players at the major league level, was experience in player development something Toboni was searching for in this hiring process?

Though he didn’t literally know Blake Butera before, Paul Toboni felt like he already knew all about the young man he just hired to be Nationals manager, long before either was employed by the franchise.

During Toboni’s 10 years working in the Red Sox front office, Butera’s name came up a number of times. They had overlapping circles of baseball friends. They came from similar backgrounds. Toboni even vaguely remembers scouting Butera when the latter played at Boston College, despite the fact they’re only separated by two years in age.

So when it came time to assemble a list of candidates for the Nats’ open managerial position, Toboni knew he wanted to meet with Butera. And once they did meet on multiple occasions, the 35-year-old president of baseball operations jumped at the opportunity to hire the 33-year-old rookie skipper.

“I really went into this process having an understanding of what I thought it was going to be like, but didn’t honestly know until I really hopped into it,” Toboni said today during a video conference with reporters. “I’m really fortunate that we did reach out to interview him, because he blew me away throughout the process.”

Butera, who worked for the Rays as a minor league manager and front office executive, was hired by the Nationals last week. He won’t be formally introduced for a couple more weeks, because he and his wife just welcomed their first child into the family on the same day he signed his contract.

The Nationals’ focus since the season ended five weeks ago has been fixed on the remaking of the front office and now the manager’s office as well. At some point, though, Paul Toboni will need to start addressing the roster of players he has inherited.

The new president of baseball operations has actually made a few transactions in the last week, letting several players go via the outright waivers process in order to clear up space on the 40-man roster. That roster now has 37 players on it with the activation of those who ended the year on the 60-day injured list. So there’s already room to add three players, whether from the outside or from within in the form of prospects who need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

But there’s plenty more that needs to be done, and there are plenty more current players who could be removed in the days and weeks ahead to allow for even more additions.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the state of the organizational depth chart as the offseason commences, getting a sense of what’s already in place and what needs to be addressed. We’ll go position-by-position, with players on the 40-man roster listed first and then some minor leaguers who aren’t listed next (with an asterisk next to their names) …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Riley Adams
Drew Millas
Caleb Lomavita*
Brady Lindsly*
Maxwell Romero Jr.*
Kevin Bazzell*

The 2025 Major League Baseball season ended early Sunday morning, in just about as dramatic fashion as possible. Whether you were happy, upset or indifferent to the result, you have to admit Game 7 of the World Series was an all-timer.

Now, as the Dodgers prepare for another victory parade and the Blue Jays come to grips with as narrow a defeat as it gets, the rest of the baseball world enters the offseason. And around here, there’s a lot to do.

It’s already been plenty busy for the Nationals, who named Paul Toboni their new president of baseball operations one month ago and named Blake Butera their new manager four days ago. In between, Toboni made a number of changes to the front office. But there’s still so much more to do, and that’s before we even get to the roster.

There are plenty more openings to fill in the front office, and though Toboni so far has brought in several execs who previously worked alongside him in Boston, he’s also going to need to look outside his comfort zone as he assembles the rest of the baseball operations department. Perhaps next week’s GM Meetings in Las Vegas will provide an opportunity for him to meet with candidates in person.

Butera, meanwhile, needs a coaching staff. The Nationals aren’t holding a press conference to formally introduce the 33-year-old for a couple more weeks because his wife just so happened to give birth to the couple’s first child Thursday, the same day he signed his contract. The club will give him and his growing family time to get settled before flying him up to D.C. for his public unveiling, but in the meantime he needs to start figuring out who is going to work alongside him in the dugout.

PLAYER REVIEW: TREVOR WILLIAMS

Age on Opening Day 2026: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2024

MLB service time: 9 years, 27 days

2025 salary: $7 million

PLAYER REVIEW: PJ POULIN

Age on Opening Day 2026: 29

How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Tigers, August 2025

MLB service time: 55 days

2025 salary: $760,000

Once the initial shock of Thursday’s news – They hired who? He’s how old? He’s never played or coached above what level? – wore off, the case for the Nationals’ hiring of Blake Butera as their new manager crystalized.

Yeah, he’s only 33 years old, but he’s already got an impressive background as a highly successful minor league manager and senior director of player development for the Rays. He and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni appear to share many baseball philosophies, from analytics to helping turn young players into good big league players. He was viewed within the industry as a future star, so why not snag him now before his profile grew and another franchise claimed him instead?

"I've always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role," Toboni in officially announcing the hiring this morning. "Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level. He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C."

There are a number of reasons Butera makes sense for the Nationals right now. Which doesn’t make his hiring any less of a gamble for Toboni and the Lerner family.

Let’s be clear: This is a huge gamble. He’s about to become the youngest manager in Major League Baseball since 1972. And it’s not like he’s a well-known former big league player who was given a managerial job with little experience like David Ross, Stephen Vogt or Kurt Suzuki. Nor does he make up for his lack of professional experience with a track record as head coach of an elite college program like Tony Vitello.

The Nationals are working to finalize a deal to name 33-year-old Blake Butera as their next manager, an out-of-the-box hiring of someone who never played or coached above Single-A but was highly regarded for his work leading the Rays’ much-touted player development system.

The expected hiring of Butera, which was confirmed by a source familiar with the decision, would make him Major League Baseball’s youngest manager since 1972, not to mention thrust a previously little-known figure in the sport into a high-profile job in the nation’s capital.

Unconventional as the move – which was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan – may sound, Butera appears to align well with new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. Well-versed in analytics and player development, Butera shares many of the qualities that made Toboni, 35, the choice of Nationals ownership to reshape the organization after 17 years under former general manager Mike Rizzo.

Butera has been employed by the Rays in one capacity or another since 2015, when the former infielder was selected in the 35th round of the MLB Draft out of Boston College. The Louisiana native played only two seasons of professional ball, never advancing beyond the short-season Single-A level, but he immediately went into coaching upon his retirement and spent the next decade working in a variety of roles for Tampa Bay.

By 2018, at the age of 25, Butera was named manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades and led that short-season Single-A club to the first of two consecutive first-place finishes in the New York-Penn League. He was promoted to manager of the low Single-A Charleston River Dogs in 2021 and led that team to back-to-back Carolina League titles, with an 88-44 record in 2022.

PLAYER REVIEW: CLAYTON BEETER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 27

How acquired: Traded with Browm Martinez from Yankees for Amed Rosario, July 2025

MLB service time: 129 days

2025 salary: $763,325

The Nationals began the process of trimming down their 40-man roster for the start of the offseason this evening, announcing four players cleared outright waivers in Paul Toboni’s first official transactions since being named president of baseball operations.

Right-handers Eduardo Salazar and Mason Thompson, left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and catcher CJ Stubbs were dropped from the 40-man roster, with Ogasawara and Stubbs assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Salazar and Thompson refused their outright assignments and instead declared for free agency, leaving the organization in the process.

All major league clubs must activate players who ended the season on the injured list following the World Series, and typically that requires some other maneuvering to make sure they do not exceed the 40-man roster limit for the offseason. Today’s moves leave the Nationals with 36 active players, plus four more under club control who ended the year on the 60-day IL: Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Drew Millas and Trevor Williams. (Derek Law also was on the 60-day IL, but he’s set to become a free agent after the World Series and will automatically come off the roster.)

Thompson also ended the season on the IL with right biceps tendinitis, a frustrating conclusion to a frustrating season for the 27-year-old reliever, who in his return from his second Tommy John surgery produced an 11.81 ERA and 2.625 WHIP in 14 big league appearances. Originally acquired from the Padres for Daniel Hudson in one of former general manager Mike Rizzo’s flurry of 2021 trade deadline deals, Thompson ends his Nationals tenure with a 7-9 record, 5.27 ERA and 1.640 WHIP in 116 games.

Salazar, a waiver claim from the Mariners during the 2024 season, showed initial promise with a 2.96 ERA in 25 appearances but struggled this season to the tune of an 8.38 ERA in 30 games while bouncing back and forth between D.C. and Rochester.

PLAYER REVIEW: JACKSON RUTLEDGE

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: First round pick, 2019 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 year, 25 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: COLE HENRY

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Second round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 169 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE A. FERRER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2017

MLB service time: 2 years, 94 days

2025 salary: $765,400

PLAYER REVIEW: SHINNOSUKE OGASAWARA

Age on Opening Day 2026: 28

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, January 2025

MLB service time: 66 days

2025 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: ANDREW ALVAREZ

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: 12th-round pick, 2021 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 28 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: MITCHELL PARKER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Fifth round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 2 years

2025 salary: $767,200

PLAYER REVIEW: CADE CAVALLI

Age on Opening Day 2026: 27

How acquired: First round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 2 years, 141 days

2025 salary: $760,200

Despite his sluggish second half, James Wood’s total production this season still earned him recognition as one of the best hitters in baseball.

Wood today was named a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award, one of six National League outfielders in the running for the honor. Three winners will be named Nov. 6, along with the winners for each of the league’s other positions.

Joining Wood on the list of finalists are the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Mets’ Juan Soto, the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers and the Cubs’ Kyle Tucker.

Wood finished the season with 38 doubles, 31 home runs, 94 RBIs, a .256 batting average, .350 on-base percentage and .475 slugging percentage, plus 15 stolen bases. Among NL outfielders, the 23-year-old ranked in the top three in doubles, homers and extra-base hits.

It was a dynamic first half of the season, though, that put Wood in a position to finish with those numbers and earned him the first All-Star nod and Home Run Derby invitation of his young career. He entered the break with a .278/.381/.534 slash line, 24 homers and 69 RBIs, then slashed .223/.301/.388 with seven homers and 25 RBIs after that.

PLAYER REVIEW: BRAD LORD

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: 18th round pick, 2022 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 year

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: JAKE IRVIN

Age on Opening Day 2026: 29

How acquired: Fourth round pick, 2018 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 2 years, 152 days

2025 salary: $774,600