The Washington Nationals General Manager Hunt Has Begun: Get To Know The Candidates

3 names have been identified as early targets to become the new shot caller in the nations capital

The firing of General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Davey Martinez yesterday signaled the beginning of a new era of baseball in Washington DC. The team has promoted former Rizzo assistant GM Mike DeBartolo to be the interim general manager, but the search for a permanent replacement has begun, and, according to the Washington Post, 3 external options have already been identified. Get to know these three possible candidates to be the future team builder of the Washington Nationals.

Thad Levine

After an 8 year tenure as the senior vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Twins, Levine left the organization, citing a desire to purse new challenges and opportunities both inside and outside of baseball. In his time with the club, he led them to some highs, such as a 101 win season in 2019 and their first playoff victory since the mid-2000’s in 2023, but also some lows, with 3 seasons under .500 as well.

Levine is a DC local, growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, and played Division III baseball at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, a school that is becoming known as “Major League Baseball University” for all the players and executives it’s produced within the game. He worked his way up through the league before serving as the assistant general manager in Texas for 11 years, in which time they went to 2 World Series, before taking the head job in Minnesota.

One of the things Levine did best in his time with the Twins was consistently fielding a competitive team despite budget constraints. In his Twins tenure, the team never had a top 15 payroll in the league, yet Levine was able to craft a team talented enough to win the division multiple times. If the Lerner’s plan to penny and dime the next leader of this organization like they did Mike Rizzo, they should at least hire a guy who knows how to run a tight ship well.

Another thing Levine did very well in his time in Minnesota was draft. In the last 10 MLB drafts (so just 2 without Levine for them), the Twins rank 9th in total fWAR accumulated with 61.6, including 45 total big leaguers produced (only the Astros and Dodgers had more). In contrast, the Nats rank 28th in draft fWAR accumulated in the same span, at a measly 20.5.

Levine was a big advocate of the importance of analytics in decision making in his time in Minnesota, a philosophy that fans have been dying to see implemented in DC. With him having no commitment to another team currently, he could enter the building quick and start making changes soon for the ball club as they enter a critical time for the franchise.

Josh Byrnes

If the goal for the new regime is to poach brilliant minds from other world class organizations, then you can’t get off to a much better start than hiring Byrnes, current senior vice president of baseball operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Byrnes has spent 12 years with the organization, in which time they’ve won the division all but one year, and taken home 2 World Series championships.

Byrnes spent 4 years as the general manager of the San Diego Padres from 2011-2014, in which time the club did not do much winning, but Byrnes was establishing a core that would go on to help the Padres become what they are today. With his 4 first rounds in those years, he selected Trea Turner, Max Fried, Hunter Renfroe, and Zach Eflin, all future good to great big leaguers.

Byrnes was fired after the club did not meet the new owners expectations, but Byrnes showed how valuable his eye for talent could be for a club in building up a great farm, which is why when Andrew Friedman was named general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, he hired Byrnes to his staff.

Since Byrnes joined the staff in his scouting specialized role, the Dodgers farm has ranked top 10 every year since. Despite picking near the end of the first round almost every single year, the Dodgers have accumulated more fWAR from their picks than almost anyone, tied for 4th with 76.5 and 47 big leaguers.

The Dodgers are a baseball juggernaut not just because of their high payroll year after year, but their ability to keep stacking talent on their farm that they can either plug into the big league club or flip for more stars. If the Nationals are looking for a man who can come in and change the face of their farm system fast, Byrnes should be near the top of their list.

Byrnes is a DC native, going to high school at St. Albans in DC and, like Levine, playing college ball at Haverford. He wouldn’t be an option until the winter for the Nats, but would be a fantastic addition if they could steal him from the Dodgers. Stealing him will be no easy feat, as he is given practically all the resources he could ever need to do his job with them, something that probably won’t be available for him in DC. Their best bet is hoping they can convince him the current young Nats core and the opportunity to be his own boss are good enough reasons to venture east.

Erik Neander

If the Nationals want to enter the analytics age of baseball with a bang, than there is no better way to do it than poach Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander. Neander, born in Silver Spring, Maryland native but grew up in New York, is one of the best analytical minds in the game and has turned the Rays into a consistent contender despite incredibly low payrolls every season.

Neander joined the Rays as an intern in 2007 and slowly worked his way up the organization before being promoted to vice president of baseball operations in 2014. By 2016, he was named general manager, and in 2021, he became the president of all baseball operations. Needless to say, Neander is a brilliant baseball mind that rises to the top even in an organization as forward thinking as the Rays are.

The Rays model of baseball is one that most organizations can only envy, low payrolls but consistent winning with an always loaded farm system, and Neander is the architect of the current Rays club which reached the World Series back in 2020 and sits in a playoff spot currently despite being projected to finish last in the AL East. He possesses a knowledge for player development and an eye for talent that is much needed within the Nationals organization.

The Nationals have been widely criticized for their lack of analytical thinking in their player development, and rightly so, but Neander is the type of hire you make if you want to put an end to that talk. Unlike how Byrnes could be difficult to poach from the Dodgers as he has all the resources he needs, Neander could be tempted by the increased financial resources he would have to work with in DC, that is if the Lerners are actually willing to provide it.