Miguel Cairo is out of the Washington Nationals management hunt while Paul Toboni shakes up the staff

It was expected, but Paul Toboni has shaken up the Nationals’ coaching staff. Additionally, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post revealed that Miguel Cairo is not being considered for the Nationals’ managerial position. None of this is surprising news considering the overhaul of the team’s front office and 66-96 record through 2025.

A many coaches last year’s staff have been told they won’t return unless the next manager chooses to keep them around. The biggest names of the group are hitting coach Darnell Coles, pitching coach Jim Hickey and first base coach Gerardo Parra. Hickey had been the pitching coach since 2021 and Coles had been in charge of the hitters since 2022.

Both guys were Davey Martinez hired through and through. Hickey and Martinez worked together in Tampa Bay and Chicago. Both were on Joe Maddon’s staff and had built a relationship. Coles’ contact-hitting philosophy matched Martinez’s views on hitting. The pair were also teammates on the 1992 Cincinnati Reds.

Cairo was also a former teammate and ally of Martinez. While Paul Toboni interviewed him for the job, he was never seen as a serious candidate. He was too aligned with Martinez and did not get enough out of the team during his time as interim boss to justify his stay.

In the Washington Post pieceit was revealed that the Nationals are interested in former Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann. Former Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has also interviewed for the job. It seems the hunt for managers is starting to accelerate. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new manager is announced in the days following the World Series.

However, Hickey, Coles and Parra are not the only staff members to leave. Henry Blanco, Ricky Gutierrez and Ricky Bones are also out. All of these guys have been around for multiple seasons and were allies of Martinez.

Two coaches who haven’t quite figured it out yet are pitching quarterback Sean Doolittle and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson. Although their future is uncertain, they are not done yet. These two coaches were seen as more analytically minded.

It will be interesting to follow the rest of this coaching quest. When will the Nats get a new manager and what kind of personnel will they assemble? We will get the answers to these questions in the coming weeks.