The Washington Nationals are already making significant changes in the organization under new leadership in the front office.
The Nationals have fired at least four members of their international scouting department, according to a report from Andrew Golden and Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post. The moves come less than one month after the end of the regular season and the hiring of the National League East club’s new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni.
One of the international scouts fired was Modesto Ulloa, the man credited with identifying the talent Juan Soto possessed when he was a teenager in the Dominican Republic. The Nationals signed Soto for a club-record $1.5 million bonus in 2015.
Of course, all of baseball knows how Soto’s signing turned out for Ulloa and the Nationals. The current New York Mets’ right fielder spent five seasons in the nation’s capital, leading Washington to their first World Series title as a 20-year-old.
Besides discovering Soto, Ulloa was a key member in the organization’s international signings of outfielder Víctor Robles and left-handed relief pitcher Jose A. Ferrer. Robles now plays for the Seattle Mariners, suiting up for just 32 games this season due to a left shoulder dislocation in April. Ferrer had a 4.48 ERA and averaged 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings as a member of Washington’s disgruntled bullpen in 2025.
The makings of a sixth consecutive losing season and last-place finish in the NL East led to the firings of manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in early July. The Nationals will not retain assistant general manager Mark Scialabba or farm director Eddie Longosz. In addition, they informed more than a dozen minor league staffers that their 2026 contracts would not be renewed, per Golden and Nusbaum.
Miguel Cairo, a former infielder who enjoyed a 17-year career in the Major Leagues, took over as the club’s interim manager, leading the team to a 29-43 record under his watch. As of today, the former Nationals’ bench coach’s future with the team is unclear.
Toboni began his career as an area scout with the Boston Red Sox in 2015, and his last position with the team was as the director of amateur scouting and player development. Whatever further steps the Nationals take under his management will be integral to their success in future seasons.
“We have a lot of work to do; that’s okay,” Toboni said at his introductory press conference at Nationals Park on Oct. 1. “We’re going to embrace it. And while it’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be really rewarding when we get to where we want to go.”
For the Nationals, it’s time to get to work, both in the United States and abroad.
Photo: Paul Toboni, the Washington Nationals’ new president of baseball operations, speaks to reporters after his introductory news conference at Nationals Park in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)
