The Washington Nationals are headed in a new direction on a number of different fronts. Following a lackluster 2025 season that saw the team move in the wrong direction in multiple areas, necessary change is finally coming for the 2019 World Series Champions.
On the front office side of things, the organization has a new leader at the top in the form of their recently hired President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, who is hoping to bring a brand new philosophy to the way the team has done things for a long time. Especially recently, the franchise has failed star players like MacKenzie Gore on certain aspects of player development, and a big part of Toboni's job will be to maximize the talent within the organization.
But besides Toboni and the rest of the impending changes within the front office, the Nationals need a reset on the field. Sure, new players will be targeted and brought in, but they simply won't be able to do it alone. They will need a new leader with fresh ideas and perspectives, and perhaps the organization might consider bringing back a familiar friend.
That familiar friend could end up being a guy who was part of the aforementioned 2019 World Series team, but perhaps not any of the big names that immediately come to mind. On a team that was filled with star talent like Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Trea Turner, Juan Soto, and Max Scherzer, among others, it's not any of them who could emerge as a managerial candidate for their former club.
In fact, the honor could end up being former catcher Kurt Suzuki, who has suddenly become a hot name on the managerial market. While there have not yet been any rumors regarding Suzuki to the Nationals, he has become a candidate in the hiring process for the San Francisco Giants, who also have an opening of their own after parting ways with veteran skipper Bob Melvin.
Suzuki has been serving as a special assistant for the Los Angeles Angels for the past 3 years, and is now eyeing his first opportunity to become a big league manager. He was known throughout his career as a very smart player who knows the game well, as most catchers are, and will hope to follow in the path of previous former catchers that didn't have much managerial experience like Dan Wilson in Seattle and Stephen Vogt in Cleveland who have experienced a lot of early success.
Do you think Kurt Suzuki should be considered for the Nationals managerial position? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.