Sources: Nats tap Red Sox exec to lead operations

The Washington Nationals are finalizing a woody to sanction Paul Toboni their caller caput of shot operations, sources told ESPN, tabbing the Boston Red Sox adjunct wide manager to crook astir a squad barreling toward its 5th last-place decorativeness successful six seasons.

Toboni, 35, is wide regarded arsenic 1 of the champion young executives successful shot aft rising from intern to cardinal decision-maker successful Boston's beforehand office.

Though Toboni's inheritance is successful scouting -- helium moved from intern to country scout, past ascended to adjunct scouting manager and scouting manager -- helium took connected a larger portfolio arsenic vice president of scouting and subordinate improvement earlier being named adjunct GM for Red Sox main shot serviceman Craig Breslow.

The Nationals fired GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez successful July, six years aft their astonishment tally to a World Series title. Rizzo was replaced connected an interim basis by adjunct GM Mike DeBartolo, who was successful the premix for the imperishable occupation on with Arizona adjunct GM Amiel Sawdaye and Cleveland adjunct GM Matt Forman.

Toboni, who played collegiate shot astatine Cal, volition inherit a squad that astatine 64-94 is struggling to support gait successful a competitory National League East part that features fiscal leviathans successful Philadelphia and New York arsenic good arsenic a coagulated Atlanta Braves halfway and an ascendant Miami Marlins team. The Nationals person a fistful of talented young players -- main among them outfielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and left-hander MacKenzie Gore -- but the team's middling workplace strategy doesn't foretell a speedy turnaround.

The drastic betterment of Boston's workplace strategy came nether Toboni, who was successful complaint of the draught erstwhile they selected outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, infielder Kristian Campbell, left-handers Payton Tolle and Connelly Early arsenic good arsenic the prospects sent to the Chicago White Sox in a trade for ace Garrett Crochet.