The Washington Nationals hired Devin Pearson, Boston's director of amateur scouting since 2021, as assistant general manager, the team announced Wednesday. Pearson becomes the first external hire under new general manager James Wagner, who took the role in November after Mike Rizzo's 23-year tenure ended.
Pearson oversaw three Red Sox draft classes that produced 14 players currently on MLB active rosters, including outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and pitcher Brayan Bello. Boston's 2023 draft yielded four players who debuted in 2024, the highest conversion rate among American League East clubs. Pearson worked under Allard Baird, who left Boston in January to join the Phillies. The Red Sox have not named his replacement.
The hire addresses Washington's farm-system deficiencies. Baseball America ranks the Nationals' system 26th of 30 organizations entering 2025, with zero prospects in the top 100. The team finished 71-91 in 2024, fourth in the National League East, and has posted losing records in four consecutive seasons since winning the 2019 World Series. Pearson's arrival signals a return to the draft-and-develop philosophy that built Washington's 2019 roster, which featured homegrown talents Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon, and Juan Soto. Soto was traded to San Diego in 2022 for a package headlined by MacKenzie Gore, who was flipped to the White Sox last summer.
Wagner's decision to poach from Boston follows a broader trend of NL East teams importing Red Sox front-office personnel. The Phillies hired Baird, Pearson's former boss, six weeks ago. The Mets added Boston's director of international scouting in 2023. All three moves center on amateur talent evaluation, the cost-controlled foundation for teams navigating the $237 million competitive-balance tax threshold for 2025. Washington's current payroll sits near $140 million, per Cot's Baseball Contracts, leaving fiscal room but limited roster upside without homegrown contributors.
Pearson's Boston track record carries specific relevance for Washington's June draft position. The Nationals hold the third overall pick in 2025, their highest since selecting Strasburg first in 2009. Pearson's Red Sox classes prioritized college bats with advanced hit tools, a profile that aligns with Washington's need for middle-infield depth and outfield athleticism. His 2022 draft included three Division I shortstops in the first 10 rounds, a concentration unusual among rival front offices. Two are now in Double-A.
The assistant GM title suggests Pearson will also oversee pro scouting and trade evaluation, responsibilities Boston had split between separate departments. Wagner's public comments in December emphasized "integration between amateur and pro coverage," a structure shift that mirrors Tampa Bay's and Cleveland's organizational charts. Both clubs rank in the top five for producing position-player WAR from drafted talent over the past seven seasons, per FanGraphs.
Wagner and Pearson overlapped briefly during Wagner's stint as a Red Sox advance scout from 2015 to 2017, before Wagner joined Washington's pro scouting department. The prior relationship reduces onboarding friction but raises questions about whether Wagner will import additional Boston personnel. The Nationals still have vacancies for a farm director and a hitting coordinator. Boston's minor-league hitting infrastructure, redesigned in 2022 under Pearson's scouting regime, produced eight hitters with OPS above .800 in Triple-A last season.
The timing matters for Washington's offseason calendar. Pearson starts immediately, giving him 11 weeks to evaluate high-school showcases and college fall performances before January's pre-draft meetings. The Nationals host the MLB Draft Combine in June at Nationals Park for the first time, a logistical advantage that allows Pearson's staff to conduct interviews and medicals without cross-country travel. The combine historically yields 40% of first-round selections, per league data.
Watch for Wagner to fill the farm director role by mid-February, likely from outside the organization, and to announce his coordinator staff before spring training opens February 12. The Nationals' third overall pick carries a slot value near $7.1 million, and Pearson's draft philosophy will become evident in whether Washington selects a college bat, a prep arm, or trades down to accumulate picks. Boston traded its 14th overall selection in 2023 for two supplemental-round slots, a move Pearson publicly supported.
The Red Sox now face a succession gap with Baird and Pearson both departed within eight weeks. Boston's 2025 draft slot is 13th, and the team has not promoted from within its scouting ranks since 2018. Pearson's departure removes institutional memory from a front office that lost chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to the Cardinals in October.
The takeaway
Washington imports Boston's amateur-scouting director to rebuild a farm system ranked **26th**, with the **third** overall draft pick coming in June.
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