Over the past few days, there have been some important updates in the Washington Nationals search for a new GM. Of course, the team fired longtime point man Mike Rizzo back in July and are now looking for a replacement. There are many names in the mix including Interim GM Mike DeBartolo. However, we have a timeline to watch now.
It looks like a new GM could be coming soon. According to Britt Ghiroli, the Nats are looking to make a decision by the end of the season. That means a decision will be coming pretty quickly. She also mentioned a couple new names that are being looked at.
Ghiroli mentioned Eddie Romero of the Red Sox as a candidate that has been interviewed. She also mentioned Scott Sharp of the Royals, but she did not say he had been interviewed yet.
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Romero is a different kind of candidate with a different background to a lot of the other guys. He comes from an international scouting background. In his tenure, he has played a role in signing players like Rafael Devers, Ceddanne Rafaela and Bryan Bello.
Romero has also worked in analytically minded front offices in Boston. He has also been involved in the player development side of these international signings. This is something the Nationals could use help with. Too often, they sign big money international players that just quickly flame out. However, I do wonder about his analytical pedigree.
Another name that has emerged over the past few days is Matt Forman of the Guardians. Forman is an assistant GM for the Guardians and has been in the organization for a long time. The Guardians are known as one of the cutting edge organizations in the league. He has gone from an intern to a top decision maker in that organization.
While there are new names, there is also one name we can cross off. That is Carter Hawkins of the Chicago Cubs. He was one of the first names mentioned in the search. However, Grant Paulsen reported that he is no longer in the mix for the job. That report has been confirmed by Andrew Golden.
This is a very exciting time for Nationals fans. The hire that will be made in the coming weeks will tell us so much about this organization and what direction they want to go. The next half decade to decade of Nationals baseball will decided in a lot of ways by who they hire.
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There are plenty of interesting and qualified candidates available. I like the wide net the Lerner family is casting here. The easy move would be to go to DeBartolo, but they are making a big effort here. I also like that they are doing this quickly as well.
The new GM is going to need to get to work as quickly as possible. Giving them as much time as possible to make a plan and attack the offseason is key. While the product on the field has been grim, this GM search could give the organization new life if they make the right hire.