Nationals President Paul Toboni on Hiring Manager Blake Butera

Nationals President Paul Toboni on Hiring Manager Blake Butera

Uh, we’ll start with Jessica Camado.com. Hey, Paul, welcome to your busy off season. Yeah, thank you. Hi, Jess. Hi. What can you tell us about this hire and why this was the right match for you? Uh, yeah. Um, you know, I think it it just starts with the person that Blake is. You know, I think he just very much aligns with the values that that we hold sacred as as an organization. Um, and then, you know, I think it, um, Blake’s leadership skills like really, uh, jumped out to us, uh, from the get-go, right? And so, I think those two things in conjunction with each other were two of the the main driving factors. Uh and then also like he’s got a pretty unique set of experiences that um you know didn’t necessarily like um you know lead us to making the decision um in in isolation but I think were uh very beneficial as we considered um you know Blake’s candidacy relative to the other candidates. Can you expand on when you said unique experiences, what makes him unique to you? Yeah. Well, I think maybe the most uh obvious things, especially from from the outside, right, would be um you know, the fact that he’s coming from the front office uh overseeing player development. Uh that hasn’t happened u very frequently, I think, throughout baseball, right? Uh but then also like uh he doesn’t have experience as a major league manager, let alone a major league staff member, right? So um you know having said that like he he he’s been a minor league manager um and he had a lot of success as a minor league manager and I think uh I think in in that job like you were exposed to uh a a good amount of things where um there was overlap with the major league managerial position and um so just the more we thought about it uh the more we we figured it was a a great fit. Mark Zuckermanmanports.com follow up on on that point there. when you do have somebody who hasn’t played or coached in the big leagues, what kind of challenge do you view that as of um him kind of getting to know and and getting the respect of a major league clubhouse of players um you know who may look at a guy and say he he’s never been at this level before, even close to this level before. How how big a challenge do you think that is? Yeah. So um I think like first and foremost, right? like um with every new manager like you just don’t know uh until they’re given the opportunity how they’re going to to respond to the challenge, right? Um having said that, like I feel actually very good about betting on Blake uh in this position and I think it so much of it just circles back to um the person he is and the leader that he is, right? Um having said that, like every manager has an adjustment period that they go through. I should say every first year manager, but even like the the guys the second time around, the third time around. So, um, but Blake is is really smart and like I said, a great leader and, um, you know, I’m just confident that like he’s he’s going to be able to, um, you know, adjust seamlessly and then also grow over time. Um, he’s just a uh he’s a very thoughtful um, you know, motivated individual that I think will just um, continue to get better as as time goes on. Did you know him or know of him prior to this process? And if not, how were you sort of how did he come onto your radar? Yeah. Uh we didn’t know each other personally. Um I’ I’d heard a lot about him. Um I actually uh even though I’m not much older than him. Um I scouted him when he was at Boston College. Uh and uh I uh we just have a lot of mutual connections where um I’m actually surprised that I had never um met him prior to this uh this process kicking off. Um but uh but yeah, you know, I so many mutual connections. I think I just uh I can’t remember exactly the first time I I really heard about him, but um you know, I there had been a number of people over the years that had told me about Blake. And um I really went into this process um having an understanding of of what I thought it was going to be like, but didn’t honestly know until I really hopped into it. and uh and uh I’m really fortunate that that we did uh reach out to to interview him because he he blew me away throughout the process. Uh Spencer Nuspa, Washington Post. Hey, Paul. Um you mentioned his kind of unique resume. Has your perspective on what it takes to be a big league manager and a successful big league manager changed since when you first got into the industry? And how does Blake maybe embody um what you believe it takes to be a successful big league manager? Uh great question. I think uh I think like the the major major things have stayed pretty consistent which is like I you know uh regardless of like hey whether it’s you know 2015 when I entered into professional baseball or or 2025 like you know I think what you’re looking for at least what I would be looking for is someone that can do a really good job creating a winning culture in the clubhouse right and um to me like the manager uh sets a tone of accountability with staff members and players and I think that was true 10 years ago just as it is today, right? But then also like they uh they’re really responsible for getting the most out of the player group, right? And we want someone um to lead players and staff effectively. And uh just like it was true in 2015, like it’s true today and I think uh I think Blake will that’ll be a huge um strength of Blakes’s as as uh time goes on. Gotcha. Um, and who is going to be in charge of building the rest of the big league staff? Um, and when do you want those decisions to have materialized by? Yeah, that’ll be uh Blake and I primarily um tackling it together. And um the one thing I’ll say about Blake and I’s relationship and um in a short period of time, we’re incredibly aligned about, you know, how we think through this. And so, um, this was obviously the first domino that had to to fall, um, in terms of getting the manager in in place. And then, um, from there, we’re we’re already on it and, uh, we’re trying to move, uh, as quickly as possible to round out the staff. Andrew Golden, Washington Post. Hey, Paul. Um, and I know you mentioned earlier in the month that you have an extensive search for the manager. Um, did you have a sense heading in of how you maybe thought that process would go? How did it look the same or different from what you expected? And I guess what qualities were you looking for in a manager and how did that kind of help you narrow down what you were looking for in what you ultimately decided? Yeah. Um you know I think going into it uh knew we would cast a wide net. I probably uh was a touch naive and just how timeconuming it would be. Uh it takes up the majority of your day for for about whatever it was um three or four weeks straight. um because it’s not just the one-on-one time obviously with the candidates, but we obviously wanted to have a really robust process as it comes to, you know, reference checks and and that sort of thing. And so, um so very time inensive, but uh obviously, uh very much worth it. Um, and then to the second part of your question, uh, yeah, like, uh, kind of like I just mentioned, like I just, you know, we want someone that, uh, is going to do a really good job creating a winning culture in the clubhouse, right? And is able to hold players and staff accountable. Um, and then, you know, from there, I just think we want someone that, uh, as I mentioned, like is aligned with our values and has those great leadership traits that I think can really, um, push that group forward. For sure. And I know he came from a well- reggarded organization in Tampa. I guess what’s your sense of how integral he was to the foundation there. Um and then also you talked about like wanting to have a leader in the clubhouse and that sort of thing. Like how do you kind of gauge that from an interview? And I guess how do you kind of balance? I’m sure everybody who applies for the job is probably having people say the same thing. Yeah. Uh it’s challenging like ju just to answer your the second question first like it’s it’s challenging, right? Like um and there’s no real like practical way of of vetting it out, right? we can’t just throw him in a dugout in the offseason and see how he responds, right? So, um I think uh so much of it is just understanding how he thinks about leadership. Um the feeling that you have when um he’s making his pitch of like how, you know, what his vision is for the major league group and how he thinks he can lead it. Um it’s, you know, like like any other position really just like uh gaining a good understanding of the leadership traits of the person, right? So um how good are they uh in my mind how I think about it is like you know shaping and and reinforcing the culture that we want and then creating the structure that’s uh necessary to perform and just the more conversations we had with them um came to really just believe that this was a huge strength of of Blake’s sorry you had a you had a first question there too probably gone Andrew oh yeah ju just like um just coming from the Tampa Bay Rays I guess like how how what sense do you get about how integral he was to that I I forgot it myself. Yeah. No, it’s all good. Um I No, I think uh obviously I I didn’t work within their walls, but um my sense is that uh uh this was a huge loss for for the Rays. Um it’s probably a good opportunity to thank Eric and the rest of the group, too, for allowing us permission to talk to Blake. Um and he, you know, the unique thing, as I’m sure you all know, is he was able to impact the organization in a number of different ways, right? Obviously, as a player, as a coach, as a manager, as a field coordinator. um and then in the front office. So, um yeah, huge impact on their organization and um once again, you know, I’m grateful for the Rays to uh having allowed us to to talk with Blake. Uh Bobby Blanco, massports.com. Hey Paul, thanks for doing this. Um you just mentioned all of his background with the Rays and earlier you mentioned his specific um background in player development. Was having someone with a with player development skills part of your search and someone you were looking for or that just so happened that Blake had those um when he interviewed? No, it certainly wasn’t a prerequisite, you know, like we didn’t want to pigeon hole ourselves into looking at one specific type of person or one, you know, specific type of experience or experiences, right? Like what we wanted to make sure was uh to to, you know, make sure we brought someone in that fit our values, right? And had great leadership traits. And then I think experience can take shape in a number of different ways, right? So, um Blake has great perspective in in you know what he’s done in player development. I think he’ll help drive a lot of that at the major league level. Um that said, we’re very open-minded uh throughout this process. And you also talked about um wanting someone who can hold the team and the coaching staff accountable and and having leadership qualities. Do you think his and you always talk about how he’s younger than you. Do you feel like his youth is will allow him to relate to your young roster more so than perhaps an older veteran manager might have? Yeah, I can’t speak to like the the older veteran manager and I think it’s so much of it just comes down to the individual themselves, right? Um, what I’ll say about Blake is that, uh, one thing I learned through just talking to so many people either within the Rays organization or outside is he’s got a uncanny ability to gain the respect and trust of like the, you know, grizzled veteran baseball coach that, you know, maybe has been in the the league for 50 50 plus years, but then also the the first year analyst that is uh that is new to the game, right? that like um is probably trying to figure out like what his or her path is. Like Blake also has an uncanny ability to relate with with that person, right? So to me, it’s one of Blake’s greatest strengths. He’s just able to really connect with people and um circling back to your question, like um I think the the player group, especially like younger players, um will find him extremely easy to connect with. Um but then also like what you said at the start is true, too. He’s not afraid to uh hold folks accountable, which I think is a huge part of of the job as well. Thanks. Uh Grant Paulson 1067. Hey Paul. Yeah. I’m wondering if the hire was, you know, the consideration of the the team that you’re trying to build or how quickly you’ll compete, whether you’re rebuilding and young or whether you’re going to be, you know, veteran and compete a little more. Like did how much of of your process was based on what you’re going to become? No, we just you how I approached it is like you know no matter like where we are in terms of like the state of our organization like we wanted someone that can um do as good a job as possible in year one but then also like when we get four, five, six, seven years down the line. Uh we also look at this person like they’re they’re leading us the way that this organization um needs to be led as it relates to the major league group, right? So um to us like it fit uh it fit both kind of desires, right? like being competitive in the in the near term but then also um maximizing our potential in the long term. And then I think I asked you something along these lines before kind of brushed that but now you have the the hire in terms of like helping from the front office whether it’s you or other people a manager manage which a lot of data and model organizations do more of before the game with him not managing before could that be more a thing that you guys have to do or how do you view that in terms of your involvement the front office’s involvement in and kind of pre-managing games? Yeah. So, um, you know, I think more than anything, like, and I think you hit on it, like so much of this work is is done before the game starts, right? And, uh, I think our job as, as the front office is to provide Blake with, um, all the information he needs to be successful, right? And then if we do a really good job, you know, building this relationship that hopefully is built on a foundation of of trust, right? It’s like when the game starts, it’s like Blake, you you go get them, right? and we fully uh entrust you and empower him to to make the decisions that he needs to make to be a really in game really good in-game um decision maker. So um and Blake also has unique perspective in that respect too, right? Coming from a front office. So I think he’s he’s um pretty well equipped to um you know be a really good in-game strategist um right from the get-go. Thanks Paul. Congrats on the hire. Yeah, thank you. Uh Jessica, you had mentioned um during the interview process Blake also gave a pitch as well. So what stood out to you about his pitch to you? Yeah. Well, I think more than anything like he he uh we were just aligned in like what we saw as the job of of the manager, right? And like how so much of it was uh had to do with like I said shaping and and reinforcing the culture in the clubhouse and and across the staff, right? Um, so you know, uh, it was really just that alignment, I think, that allowed us to to really connect from the get-go. And, uh, nothing crazy fancy, but I think just like the the passion and, uh, the authenticity to which he talked about it, uh, we really gravitated towards. And how would you describe Blake’s demeanor? Because we haven’t met him yet. So, is he like a manager who’s going to be like rah, or is he kind of like a quiet lead by example guy? Um, I would uh I would describe him as uh incredibly humble, incredibly open-minded. Um, really even keled. Um, but then also like he he just has a a very natural way of of connecting with folks of all different backgrounds, right? So, I know I mentioned it in my earlier example, but um he’s just really easy to talk to and um you know, someone that um I see myself not just like growing really close u to as like a professional relationship, but I envision him uh becoming one of my really close friends just because he’s um he’s so easy to talk to. He’s such a a great person. uh I don’t want to kind of uh just keep going back to this, but like the values that he has and believes in um we’re very much aligned on too. Mark Zuckermanman, um when it comes to the the coaching staff, what are the qualities or the the things you’re prioritizing as you search for that? And and given his lack of experience, does experience on a coaching staff mean more or matter more in that case? Yeah, it’s it’s uh a great question. Like I think really any good leader has uh a good understanding of kind of what their circle of competence is, where their strengths lie, right? And then they’re uh I think this is like where Blake’s humility will shine, right? It’s like it’s about filling the the voids that maybe uh Blake has. Um and so um I think once again, first and foremost, like we want folks with with character that are aligned with like how we want to build this out, right? But then two, like we want a level of expertise that can take shape in a number of different ways, right? Whether that’s like, hey, um, experience in the major leagues and, you know, an understanding of, um, how to navigate in-game decision-m and experience doing so, right? Or just like, hey, um, you know, uh, competence or or expertise, uh, in the pitching or the hitting or in the defensive spaces, right? like we want to create um a a really well-informed staff um that also does a great job connecting with players and staff members and uh I think you know what what hopefully will shine through is the diversity of experiences and backgrounds uh will really play a big role as well. Um and can you say if anyone from this year’s staff is under consideration to return? Uh, you know, I’m not going to go there quite yet just because we aren’t ready to um chat about it yet, but um but I think in time we will. Spencer Nusbomb, Washington Post. Uh yeah, expanding here a little bit. Um you had said during your initial presser that you weren’t sure if you were going to hire a GM underneath you. Um have you made a choice on whether you’ll do that and what goes into that decision? Yeah. So, uh, for the time being, I’m not planning on hiring a GM, and I think you can assume that to be the case until, uh, I tell you all otherwise. Um, and, uh, you touched on this a little bit. Um, when you think about the staff that you’re surrounding them with, I know that when you’re with the Red Sox and kind of building the player development side of things, um, you had sought out like college coaches and, you know, training facilities and things like that. Um, how important are those past relationships and what did that teach you about like your open-mindedness in terms of building a staff? Uh, yeah. So, you know, I think we can come on to really good staff members uh in a number of different ways, right? Like, you know, I talked about this, I think, in the press conference, like former experience at the major league level is like, you know, a feather in your cap. Um, but it also doesn’t mean everything, right? So, um, we’ll be like casting a really wide net, right? And, um, searching for highly impactful staff members like no matter where they’re um, where they come from. And Andrew Golden. Well, I know there were some reports you were planning to bring in two assistant GMs, Devin Pearson and Justin Horowitz. I don’t know if you could speak to those, but I guess like why did you think it was necessary to bring those guys in and do you have a sense of how they’ll kind of fit into the organization and what you’re trying to do here? Yeah, of course. Uh I can shed some light on that. So, uh we hired Devin Pearson um as an assistant GM. Devon’s going to oversee uh our development space. So, um DP come I call him DP. DP comes from um a background in um in acquisitions. He was a scouting director. We worked together for a long period of time um in in Boston. And um you know, I think why that’s important is um one like just just the person, the leader is top-notch in in my opinion, but then also like the experience in working in acquisitions, right? Like now he’s shifting over to development. I think in my mind the best organizations in baseball do a really really good job integrating the two and uh they kind of take their learnings uh on the the development side and have them well integrated into the acquisition side right um and then just to pivot to to Justin Horowitz really quickly who’s also hopping on as an AGM uh overseeing acquisitions uh he comes from the Pirates but we work together in in Boston um and uh you know I think there’s there’s just a a mutual understanding in alignment on how we think it should look. Um, and they’re both um just uh unbelievable leaders and teammates that I think will uh will seamlessly uh transition into this organization and uh create really great relationships in in short order. And when you say oversee acquisitions, like what exactly does that mean and what does that look like? Yeah. So, um like the the amateur acquisition, so the draft, right? Proac acquisitions, trades, free agency, uh all that. And then the international front, too. So, um international scouting and and uh yeah, all all of our uh you know, acquisitions that happen on the international front. Cool. And Bobby Blanc, uh just curious because we saw them during your press conference. Um, how involved was ownership in this decision or did they kind of give you free reign to to go and and go through this process by yourself? Uh, extremely supportive. Um, they’ve been uh they’ve been great to work for in this this first month. Um, but they also made it very clear like this was my decision and so um this was the decision that we made as a group. um the the front office and and you know myself and uh ownership was like I said extremely supportive every step of the way and I’m kind of surprised no one’s asked yet but we know that Blake had a baby the day that the hiring was kind of becoming official just from your side. What was that like kind of trying to finalize the deal but then him having this life-changing moment? Yeah. Um we knew for a period of time that the baby was uh was going to be coming at some point. didn’t obviously know exactly when, but uh I don’t want to speak for Blake on this, but I think it was a pretty hectic few hours for him where he uh he and his wife Caroline went to the the hospital. Um I think Jeff Pass broke the news probably like an hour later and then an hour after that or whatever it was, they welcomed a baby into the world. So, awesome day for the Butra family. I’m sure it’s a a day that will go down in history for for their fan. Thanks. We’ll go two more. We’ll go to Mark. Um, just real quick, you’re talking about the AGMs. Um, can you say what Mike Dearlo’s title or role is? Is it comparable to what he did under Mike Rizzo or or is it something different? Do you know? Yeah. So, Mike is going to be taking a role um as an SVP and AGM overseeing um the operation side. So, um just like honestly since the press conference, uh Mike and I have have grown even tighter. He’s he’s exceptionally talented at what he does and he’s going to have a huge impact on this organization going forward. Thanks. We’ll finish up with Jess. Do you still have your scouting report on Blake from Boston College? I don’t know if I do. I don’t have access to the the Red Sox system and I’m not entirely sure I wrote a scouting report to be honest. So, um but uh it’s funny. I actually I I remember watching him in the Cape too. I think he played for Chadam and I remember he had a really good playoff one year. Maybe it was 2014. Um I think he hit like 400 in the playoffs, but I would have to check that. I I might be wrong about it. But yeah, remember watching him as a player. They had some good teams at at Boston College with uh I don’t know if you remember Chris Shaw and Justin Dunn and Michael King and uh and some others. So uh good teams and I’m friends with the uh ex college coach there. Mike Gambino is now Penn State and uh he he obviously had wonderful things to say about Blake.

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About This Sports Courier Baseball Video: Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni chats with local media about his first month on the job, hiring the young Blake Butera, being the youngest exec in his position, and what he expects from the Nats in 2026! Paul Toboni press conference footage courtesy of and provided by MLB Communications. All rights and licenses belong to MLB, Nationals, and their respective partners.

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