The Red Sox–Nationals front office pipeline is alive and well. On Friday, the Nationals hired Justin Horowitz as an assistant general manager. Horowitz most recently served as director of amateur scouting for the Pirates beginning in 2023. But Horowitz becomes the second high-profile AGM who previously worked under Paul Toboni in Boston. This hire follows Devin Pearson’s, who also served on Toboni’s staff in his Red Sox days. Both new AGMs are viewed as sharp, modern voices in scouting and player development.
Horowitz began his baseball career as a baseball operations intern with the Red Sox while studying at Georgetown, where he also played club baseball. He graduated from the McDonough School of Business in 2013, then quickly moved up the ranks as an amateur and international assistant scout, area scout, crosschecker, and eventually became a special assistant. He spent 11 years in Boston’s front office before taking on a key role in Pittsburgh, where he ran the Pirates’ draft operation for the past two seasons. Now he’s back in the District, helping reshape Washington’s front office.
In Pittsburgh, Horowitz oversaw the Pirates’ 2024 and 2025 draft classes, both of which drew praise across the league. He played a major role in the selections of shortstop Konnor Griffin and right-hander Seth Hernandez, two cornerstone picks for the organization. Griffin, taken ninth overall in 2024, is now MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked prospect, while Hernandez, drafted sixth overall in 2025, is considered one of the top prep arms in baseball. Under Horowitz’s direction, Pittsburgh’s farm system rose from 20th to 9th in MLB Pipeline’s organizational rankings.
Horowitz and Toboni worked closely during their time in Boston. Horowitz spent several years in the amateur scouting department under Toboni’s leadership, and their shared background makes this move far from surprising. Toboni also has drawn from his former Red Sox crew in hiring both Pearson and Andrew Wright. Pearson worked under Toboni in Boston before succeeding him as the Red Sox’s director of amateur scouting in 2022. Andrew Wright recently left his position as field coordinator for the Red Sox to join the Nationals front office as the special assistant to Toboni.
Toboni has made it clear that improving the Nationals’ drafting and player development is a top priority. Years of poor results in both areas contributed to Mike Rizzo’s exit as general manager just days before the 2025 draft. In his place, Toboni provides the Nationals with a much-needed reset in drafting philosophy, emphasizing a younger, more analytically driven approach.
By bringing in people like Horowitz, Pearson and Wright who understand how to execute that vision, Toboni is surrounding himself with evaluators who know how to blend data-driven models with traditional scouting instincts. All three earned trust in a Boston system built on finding value beyond the top of the draft board and now reflect Toboni’s focus on modernizing Washington’s front office from the inside out.
Horowitz brings proven results as a talent evaluator, with a track record of success in scouting and player development that could help Washington climb out of its rebuild and build a stronger foundation for the future.
Other front-office departures from the Nationals since Toboni’s arrival clear the way for him to align the organization with his vision. Former assistant GMs Eddie Longosz and Mark Scialabba are no longer with the organization, while Mike DeBartolo, who served as interim GM during the transition, remains in the building but without a clearly defined role moving forward. It has also been more than a month since The Athletic reported that the Nationals planned to hire a general manager “soon,” so it’s fair to wonder if that plan is still on track.
Ironically, the Nationals also remain without a director of amateur scouting after Brad Ciolek left for Detroit, despite Horowitz’s recent experience running that department in Pittsburgh. For now, Horowitz is expected to lead those efforts, but Toboni likely will fill the vacancy in the near future.
While some staffing remains uncertain, the Nationals clearly are leaning hard into youth and analytics. Toboni has said he wants to build a “scouting and player development monster.” So far, the hires back that up. But there’s still work to do. The Nationals are betting on a new approach, and Horowitz fits the mold. He brings experience, recent success and a long-standing connection to Toboni. It’s another move that points to a front office fully aligned around a shared vision. Whether it leads to results on the field remains to be seen, but the direction is clear and, for the first time in a while, refreshing.