Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is looking for his No. 2 — and will be without his first choice.

The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to name Paul Toboni their new head of baseball operations, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Toboni, 35, rose rapidly to become one of the assistant general managers for the Red Sox and is widely regarded as one of the best executives in MLB. Boston also reportedly viewed him as the top candidate to be elevated as general manager in 2026.

“When the time comes, the right thing for the organization, the right thing to help our leadership team is to have a clear No. 2,” Breslow said. “That in and of itself is enough of a driver.”

Toboni initially joined the organization as an intern and had been promoted five times since 2015, and was allowed him to interview for the head job in 2023. The Red Sox have four other assistant general managers: Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira, Taylor Smith, and Michael Groopman.

It’s unclear whether or not the franchise still intends on bringing in a general manager after losing their top candidate.