Nats hire Bob Miller as vice president and assistant GM (Fornataro claimed)

The Nationals announced today that they have hired Bob Miller as vice president and assistant general manager, filling the vacancy created when Bryan Minniti left the organization to join the Diamondbacks.

Miller comes to the Nats after spending the last nine years as an executive with the Reds, most recently serving as vice president and assistant GM to Walt Jocketty.

The 50-year-old Miller will assist the Nationals in all facets of baseball operations. In his recent role with the Reds, Miller had a hand in all aspects of baseball operations, including arbitration cases, contract negotiations, rules, player evaluations and departmental budgeting.

Miller previously worked with Nats GM Mike Rizzo when both were with the Diamondbacks. The two men spent seven years working in Arizona, helping to build the 2001 World Series championship team and take the Diamondbacks minor league system from No. 29 (as ranked by Baseball America) to No. 1 in five years.

After his seven years with the Diamondbacks (first as assistant director of scouting, then director of baseball operations and then three years as assistant GM), Miller joined the Reds. His first role in Cincinnati was as director of baseball administration under then-GM Wayne Krivsky.

Miller was promoted to assistant GM in June 2006, and in December of that year was named vice president and assistant GM.

Update: The Nats have acquired right-handed reliever Eric Fornataro on a waiver claim from the Cardinals today. Fornataro posted a 4.66 ERA in eight big league games this season, and had a 2.57 ERA at Triple-A Memphis.

Back in 2012, his first year as a full-time reliever, Fornataro put up a 2.39 ERA at Double-A Springfield. The 26-year-old was a sixth-round selection of the Cardinals in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft. The Nationals' 40-man roster is now at 40.