I am fairly confident that interim manager Miguel Cairo, who was unsure about taking the job in the first place, out of loyalty to his friend Davey Martinez, is unlikely to be a serious candidate for the job in 2026 (along with most of the coaching staff). With that in mind, it is fair to start pondering who might be a good person to interview this fall. Every fan who thinks about these things has their own paradigm, whether it be a former player fresh from the television studio, a grizzled curmudgeon who can inject some much-needed focus on fundamentals, or the [pick your] hot name coach from a strong contender. Nats fans might want to add another option to that list, the retired, longest-tenured player with the personal services contract already in hand, but let us dispense with that one right now. I would be very surprised if Ryan Zimmerman has any interest in taking over a role that, for basically anyone not named Walter Alston or Tommy Lasorda, comes with an expiration date that the office-holder does not get to choose. If he jumps into any full-time in-season role with the Nationals, bet on the television booth over the dugout rail.

Let’s take a look at four interesting names. One of them should be familiar to most Nats fans who followed during the 2012-2019 run of contention. One is probably familiar to serious fans of the sport, and two are (at least as managers) likely new names. We don’t know anything about who the front office will want to interview - or indeed the identities in the front office, although Mike DeBartolo is a much stronger candidate to shed his interim tag for a permanent nameplate than Cairo - but these are all potential candidates who could offer a change of direction and a breath of fresh air.

Importantly, I believe that previous managerial experience (importantly different from previous coaching experience) is vital here. I have coached one sport or another for all of my adult life, and I don't think that hiring someone to learn from the jump how to be the guy in charge during games is good for this team, or indeed most teams. Sure, there are Steven Vogts out there, but they are rare, and we here in Washington have already seen a disappointing rookie season from a first-time manager, Davey in 2018, with a much more talented team. My ideal candidate would have previous managerial experience in pro baseball, work or have worked in an organization with a strong track record of player development and a more modern approach than was the consensus for much of the Rizzo era (read: I can imagine DeBartolo interviewing any or all of these people), and - so long as we’re being 100% honest here - younger than most of the current coaching staff and therefore hopefully better able to relate to a roster with just six active players older than 29 (for the time being). Without further ado, the envelopes, please:

Mark DeRosa - A utility player on the 96-win 2012 Nationals, DeRosa manages Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and maintains a good relationship with the Lerners. Does the 50-year-old want to get on the road and manage instead of keeping his studio seat at MLB Network? I would think it unlikely, but it is certainly possible.

Morgan Ensberg - You might be familiar with Ensberg the player, who had an eight-year career with the Astros, Padres, and Yankees that peaked with a .283/.388/.557, a 36-homer season in 2005. Were you aware that Ensberg (who turns 50 next month) has managed all four full-season minor league levels for the Astros and Rays (two cutting-edge franchises) over the past eight years? Or that he also managed last winter in the Venezuelan Winter League? Ensberg has been the Southern League Manager of the Year and Tampa Bay Rays Employee of the Year, and seems like a guy ripe for a major league gig somewhere.

George Lombard - Yet another option born in 1975, Lombard, whose final major league appearance was in 2006 with the Nationals, has coached and managed rookie ball in the Red Sox, Braves, Dodgers, and Tigers organizations (he is currently the Tigers’ bench coach). Lombard is going to be a hot name this winter, who will in all likelihood have his pick of openings.

Chad Tracy - No, not the same Chad Tracy who was a “hairy-chested bench bat” for Davey Johnson’s 2012 and 2013 Nationals at the end of his MLB career. There’s another one! Chad Tracy 2.0 is the son of former MLB manager Jim (Dodgers, Rockies, Pirates) and in his fifth season as manager of the AAA Worcester Red Sox after three years at lower levels in the Angels’ organization. He happens to be a college acquaintance of mine (he was Pepperdine’s catcher and best hitter for three years before being drafted by the Rangers in the 2006 second round - his own playing career was eventually cut short by a shoulder injury) and just turned 40 last week.

Thursday’s series finale against the Cardinals followed a classic 2025 Nationals script: moribund offense against a soft-tossing pitcher (Miles Mikolas), a slog of a four-inning start by a pitcher not named MacKenzie Gore (Michael Soroka), and a meltdown from the bullpen (Mason Thompson allowed five runs while recording just one out in the sixth), and one garbage-time run on a bases-loaded groundout, all leading to an 8-1 Cardinals win. It was as unexciting as that brief recap sounds.

Up next, the Nationals will kick off their last three-game series before the All-Star break by visiting the Milwaukee Brewers for a weekend series. The Nationals are scheduled to send LHP Mitchell Parker (5-9, 4.72) to the mound and are scheduled to face RHP Quinn Priester (6-2, 3.59) from the Brewers.

On Saturday, the Nationals will play game two of three against the Milwaukee Brewers, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EDT. The Nationals are scheduled to send LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara (0-0, 13.50) to the mound and are scheduled to face RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 1.50) from the Brewers.

📌 Controversial take: The Lerners were right not to spend (The Nats Report)

📌 The most random MLB All-Stars since 2000: Let's remember some guys (USA Today)

📌 Pitching less is not stopping MLB arm injuries. What about pitching more? (Washington Post)