The Washington Nationals are making their first notable offseason move, and once again the connection runs straight through Boston.
According to Kyle Williams of The Baltimore Banner, the Nationals are preparing to hire David Besky away from the Red Sox to serve as their new pitching strategist on the major league staff. Chris Cotillo of MassLive was first to report that Besky would not be returning to the Red Sox in 2027 after serving as Boston’s director of baseball sciences since December 2024.
The move fits the pattern Washington has established since bringing in president of baseball operations Paul Toboni last offseason. Toboni came over from Boston, and he has already pulled multiple front office members with him to the nation’s capital. Besky is the latest name to follow that path, and the Nationals are clearly leaning harder into the Red Sox-style overlap as they continue building out their operation.
Besky is stepping into a role that previously belonged to Sean Doolittle. The former two-time All-Star and 2019 World Series champion with Washington had been the bridge between the pitching staff and the analytics department, and after Toboni took over the front office, Doolittle was shifted into an assistant pitching coach role. Besky is expected to work in a similar lane.
Before Boston, Besky worked with Driveline, then joined the Red Sox as coordinator of player development in January 2023. Now he is moving into a uniformed role for the first time in his career, a significant next step as Toboni continues reshaping the staff structure in Washington.
How much direct influence Besky will have at the major league level is still unknown, but the direction is obvious. The Nationals are keeping their focus on analytics and technology, and this hire only reinforces that.
There have already been signs of progress in Washington’s pitching pipeline. The club saw improvement in minor league pitching development, and later in the season two minor league arms, Erik Tolman and Jack Sinclair, emerged as reliable bullpen options.
With Toboni steering the overhaul, the Nationals are still assembling the pieces of their new baseball operations department. Besky’s arrival adds another one.
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Now Washington has to decide whether that profile is worth keeping around at a projected cost of about $3.4 million. The possibility of tendering him a contract this offseason is tied not just to whether the Nationals still believe in his starters ceiling, but also to whether a move to the bullpen might make more sense if they want to keep his arm in the organization without committing to the same role. [Read more 🡒]