The Nationals have a new, young general manager.
Washington hired Ani Kilambi for the job as they entered a new era under president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, who was hired by the Red Sox near the end of the 2025 MLB season. according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Kilambi, 31, was previously the Phillies’ assistant general manager and oversaw the team’s R&D department.
He joins a new administration in the nation’s capital after longtime general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were fired in July, signaling a shift for the struggling franchise.
Kilambi’s recruitment comes after the Nationals named 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new manager at the end of October. They join Toboni, 35, as a youthful MLB front office.
The Nationals are looking to bounce back from a major downturn since their 2019 World Series-winning season.
In six seasons since then, Washington has gone 354-516, the second-worst record in baseball in that span, behind only the lowly Colorado Rockies.
Last season, the Nationals went 66-96 to finish in last place in the National League East for the fifth time in the previous six seasons.
Washington had had eight straight winning seasons before this tough six-year stretch.
In recent years, the big blockbuster trades of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Juan Soto, among others, have failed to build a consistent winner in Washington.
With the post-championship rebuild now lasting more than half a decade, the latest moves signal a new approach for the franchise.
The final reconstruction efforts had begun long before Kilambi arrived.
Earlier this month, the Nationals acquired catcher Harry Ford, the No. 42 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and right-handed pitcher Isaac Lyon from the Mariners in exchange for left-handed reliever Jose Ferrer.
At the trade deadline, the Nationals dealt veterans Michael Soroka and Amed Rosario for lower-level prospects with their season in shambles.
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