The Boston Red Sox have lost two former assistant general managers to other organizations in as many offseasons. Paul Toboni, who was Craig Breslow's most likely candidate for a general manager promotion, took over as president of baseball operations in the Washington Nationals organization before the 2026 season.
Toboni has made some big moves in during short tenure in Washington's front office. He traded Jake Bennett to the Red Sox and signed Cade Cavalli to a contract extension following a career season. The Nats missed the playoffs in 2026 after finishing in fourth place in the National League East, but talent like Cavalli, James Wood, Keibert Ruiz and CJ Abrams (if he isn't traded) could carry them far in the future.
But winning a World Series is the goal every year (at least, it should be), and Toboni has seemingly taken that belief seriously. On November 4, the Nationals organization released a letter from Toboni to Nats fans, in which he thanked fans, gave props to his players, assessed the club's progress over his first year in charge and explained his dedication to forward progress.
Of course, the letter doesn't make up for a losing season or missing the playoffs. It also doesn't guarantee that Washington will improve after it — actions must follow Toboni's words. He's already started the work by signing center fielder Jacob Young to a four year, $23 million deal. But this level of open communication with fans is enviable, especially from a Red Sox fan perspective.
Former Red Sox exec Paul Toboni commits to improvement in open letter to fans, and he's already acting on it
"I wanted to be real with the fans about where we're doing well and what we need to improve so they don't feel like we're misleading them."
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 5, 2026
- @Nationals POBO Paul Toboni on his letter to the fans and the organization's priorities for this offseason
MLB Network + @SageUSAmerica pic.twitter.com/eGkYUor1w4
Breslow is infamous for his lack of communication skills. He talks in a robotic and academic manner that doesn't always feel appropriate in a sports environment. There have been multiple leaks from the front office during Breslow's tenure, which showed that he didn't have the best relationship with some other Red Sox employees. The Red Sox organization reportedly misled Rafael Devers about their plans for him while they pursued Alex Bregman before the 2025 season.
The Red Sox have since exercised options on Breslow's contract to keep him in the organization through the 2030 season, which might suggest the communication issues have cleared up. Still, fans have to wonder if Breslow would be more personable with someone like Toboni at his side.
Maybe if Breslow promoted Toboni earlier, he'd still be in the Red Sox organization, but he'd still be a talented exec with other teams' eyes on him. A promotion to PBO would be hard to pass up, regardless of his station in Boston's front office.
Even if he isn't in the Sox's front office anymore, Breslow could learn from Toboni's transparency, as could many other front offices around baseball. The Nationals may have only won 77 games during their first season under Toboni's watch, but he's on the way to making himself a popular man around Washington.
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