Overview
- At 33, Butera would be the youngest MLB manager since Frank Quilici in 1972, according to ESPN reporting.
- Butera rose from the Rays’ player ranks to senior director of player development and posted a 258-144 record with two Low-A titles as a minor-league manager.
- The choice aligns with the franchise’s youth movement under 35-year-old president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, hired in late September after midseason leadership firings.
- Washington remains in a long-range rebuild featuring young talent such as James Wood, with rival clubs expected to ask about the availability of MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams.
- The Nationals’ search also included interviews with Craig Albernaz and interim skipper Miguel Cairo before zeroing in on Butera.