The Washington Nationals are turning to the youngest manager in more than 50 years to lead their team.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the team is hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera as its new skipper.
BREAKING: The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to hire Blake Butera as manager, sources tell ESPN. Butera, 33, will be the youngest manager in MLB in more than 50 years. In four seasons as a minor league manager in the Rays organization, his teams had a 258-144 record.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 30, 2025
Butera becomes the majors’ youngest manager since Dave Bristol, also 33, led the Cincinnati Reds in 1966.
A native of Metairie, LA, Butera previously served as the director of player development for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a 35th-round selection of the Rays in 2015. An infielder, Butera’s playing career ended in Rookie ball in 2016.
A product of Boston College, Butera served as bench coach for Italy at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and quality control coach of the Dominican League’s Leones del Escogido.
Butera succeeds Dave Martinez, who served as manager for eight seasons before his firing this past July. Martinez, a former Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder, led the Nats to the franchise’s first World Series title in 2019.
