Miguel Cairo is the new Nationals skipper, as interim GM Mike DeBartolo officially named Cairo as interim manager for the rest of the season on Monday.
Cairo, 51, had served as Dave Martinez’s bench coach for the last two seasons, and now ascends to the manager’s seat after Martinez and GM/POBO Mike Rizzo were dismissed on Sunday.
"Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball," DeBartolo said in the team’s official statement. "A diligent worker and student of the game, he has a proven track record of showing strong leadership in a variety of situations, and I believe that his voice and energy will serve as a catalyst to our team and our fan base in the second half of the season."
Per Britt Ghiroli, Cairo was offered the job Sunday night and opted to think about it, not flying with the team to St. Louis ahead of their series beginning Tuesday. He did, however, agree to the gig, and will join the team in St. Louis; had he not, Triple-A Rochester manager Matt LeCroy – a member of the 2006 Nats – was expected to be the top choice.
Cairo played 17 MLB seasons with nine teams from 1997-2012, and this is his second stint as an interim manager, as he was 18-16 as the acting White Sox skipper at the end of 2022.
He moved into the management side of the game right after retiring, as he spent 2013-17 as a special assistant to the GM in Cincinnati and was an interim bench coach in his first season. He also worked in the Yankees’ system as a minor-league infield coordinator, then was the White Sox bench coach (and interim skipper) in 2021-11 and the Mets’ minor-league infield coordinator in 2023 before coming to DC.
Cairo has also long been close with Martinez, as the two were teammates with the inaugural Devil Rays and played together from 1998-2000 in Tampa.