(Washington) Ani Kilambi, just 31 years old, was named general manager of the Washington Nationals on Thursday.
The former Philadelphia Phillies member is the latest young talent to join Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni in Washington.
Kilambi was an assistant general manager for the Phillies, where he has worked since 2021. Before that, he worked for more than five years with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Kilambi thus obtains the position that was held for more than 15 years by Mike Rizzo, who became general manager of the Nationals in 2009, before adding the title of president of baseball operations in 2013.
Rizzo was fired in July as the Nationals headed toward their sixth straight losing season. Coach Dave Martinez was fired at the same time.
Rizzo and Martinez were at the helm in 2019 when the Nationals won the World Series, but the team hasn’t had a winning season since. The Nationals finished with a 66–96 record in 2025, placing 14thand of the 15 clubs in the National League.
Mike DeBartolo took over as interim general manager following Rizzo’s departure and oversaw the selection of 17-year-old infielder Eli Willits with the first pick in the Major League Amateur Draft in July.
Toboni, 35, was hired at the end of September to lead Nacional; He was previously assistant general manager of the Boston Red Sox. He brought with him Blake Butera, who, at 33, became the youngest major league manager since the 1970s.
There is a lot to do to turn things around for the Nationals, who need talent and depth to rebuild their Major League roster as well as their affiliates.
Toboni’s first move on the free agent market came Monday, when the Nats agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million pact with left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin, a deal conditional on a medical exam. Griffin has played in Japan the past three seasons.
