| Paul Toboni | |
|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | |
| President of Baseball Operations | |
| Born:San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| Teams | |
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Paul Toboni (born February 1990) is an American professionalbaseball executive who is the President of Baseball Operations for theWashington Nationals ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager of theBoston Red Sox. Toboni is currently the youngest President of Baseball Operations in Major League Baseball.
Toboni was born and raised in San Francisco, California,[1] and attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory, where he excelled in basketball. Toboni turned down offers from the Ivy League to play basketball and baseball, and instead opted to pursue baseball only, walking on to the University of California, Berkeley baseball team in 2008.[2] Despite undergoing two hip surgeries that limited his playing time, he was a member of the2011 California Golden Bears baseball team that played in 2011 College World Series, playing shortstop.
He earned a B.A. in Political Economics from UC Berkeley in 2012, followed by an M.B.A. from theUniversity of Notre Dame in 2014. While at Notre Dame, he competed for the Men's Boxing program.
Toboni began his front office career with theOakland Athletics in 2013.
In 2015, Toboni joined theBoston Red Sox as an intern in baseball operations. In 2016, Toboni was named an Area Scout before becoming the Assistant Director, Amateur Scouting later that year. In 2020, he became the Director, Amateur Scouting. He was named Vice President, Amateur Scouting and Player Development in 2023, before being named Assistant General Manager later that year.[3]
During his tenure, Toboni has played a central role in modernizing the Red Sox’s amateur scouting and player development departments. Under his leadership, the organization has drafted and developed several standout players, including Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, as well as other rising players such as Triston Casas, Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel and Brandon Montgomery.[4]
From 2019 to 2024, Toboni led the Red Sox’sfarm system from being ranked 30th to 1st overall byBaseball America and MLB Executives.[5] In 2024, executives across MLB voted the Red Sox as one of the best organizations at drafting, as well as developing hitters.[5]
In October 2024, MassLive reported that Toboni was among the internal candidates considered for the Red Sox general manager position, underscoring his growing influence within the organization.[6]
TheWashington Nationals, slumping to a last-place finish in theNational League East amid a difficult2025 season, hired Toboni as the new head of their baseball operations department.[7] They held an introductory press conference for Toboni atNationals Park on October 1, 2025, officially naming him as President of Baseball Operations. Toboni is currently the youngest top team executive in MLB.[8]
As head of baseball operations, Toboni quickly moved to overhaul the Nationals' front office, player development system, and team staff. He hired 33-year-oldBlake Butera as manager, making him the youngest MLB team manager in over 50 years,[9] and 31-year-oldAnirudh Kilambi as general manager, another historically young hire.[10] He also brought over some former Red Sox colleagues, including field coordinator Andrew Wright to serve as a special assistant and scouting director Devin Pearson as assistant manager overseeing player development, andPittsburgh Pirates scouting director Justin Horowitz as assistant general manager overseeing player acquisitions.[10][11] Toboni also kept onMike DeBartolo, who served as interim general manager during the second half of the Nationals' 2025 season, as senior vice president and assistant general manager overseeing baseball operations.[10] Washington hiredJason Sinnarajah to work alongside Toboni as President of Business Operations, leaving Toboni to focus on the baseball side of the organization.[12]
Toboni is one of five children and the brother of actressJacqueline Toboni and journalist Gianna Toboni.
Toboni is known for his strong work ethic and attention to detail. Former teammate and MLB All-StarMarcus Semien recalled, “He’s probably the hardest-working guy. I always admired the way he managed his time. I was always just wondering: When did he sleep?”[2]
Toboni and his wife Danielle have four children.