Nationals Considering Red Sox Minor League Skipper For Manager Opening

With October winding down, the Washington Nationals are still searching for their next manager.

On Wednesday, they informed Miguel Cairo that he will not be returning as their full-time manager next year. He was the team’s interim manager last season after Dave Martinez got fired in July, but the Nationals did not improve under his watch, going 29-43 under Cairo compared to 37-53 with Martinez.

Cairo was Washington’s bench coach for a season and a half before being promoted to manager, but the club apparently wants to go in a different direction and see if someone outside the organization can bring a fresh perspective and turn things around.

The Nationals remain interested in Rocco Baldelli, who was recently let go by the Minnesota Twins. and Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann.

According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post, Washington also interviewed the Double-A manager for the Boston Red Sox, Chad Epperson.

Adding another name into the mix: The Nationals also interviewed Red Sox Double-A manager Chad Epperson for their managerial opening, per multiple sources.

Epperson, 53, has managed Class AA Portland since 2022. Spent 2010-2021 as Boston’s MiLB catching coordinator. https://t.co/qjW9ehtn5M

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) October 30, 2025

Epperson, 53, does not have any Major League coaching experience, which would make him a somewhat unconventional hire.

Epperson’s been with the Red Sox organization since 2004. He managed the team’s Low-A affiliate for six seasons before serving as their Minor League catching coordinator from 2010 to 2021.

He’s spent the last four seasons managing the Portland Sea Dogs in Double-A, where he’s had great success managing many of the franchise’s top prospects and led the team to a division title in 2024.

The Nationals are a young, rebuilding team, so Epperson could be a good fit for them. They are coming off six straight losing seasons, however, exceeding 90 losses in each of the last five.

Washington has already poached two notable executives from Boston recently. Over the last two months, the Nationals hired the Red Sox’s former assistant GM, Paul Toboni, and former director of amateur scouting Devin Pearson.

Washington appears to be trying to emulate Boston’s impressive rebuild over the last few years, but time will tell if that strategy pays off.