clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Nationals name Bob Miller Vice President and Assistant General Manager

The Washington Nationals announced this morning that they hired former Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds' executive Bob Miller as Vice President and Assistant General Manager. Miller and Nats' GM Mike Rizzo previously worked together with the D-Backs.

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Bryan Minniti's decision to leave his job as the Washington Nationals' Assistant GM and sign on with Arizona, left an opening in the Nats' front office which was filled this afternoon, as rumored, with the hiring of veteran executive Bob Miller as Vice President and Assistant General Manager:

Miller comes to Washington after serving as the Cincinnati Reds' Vice President and Assistant GM for the past nine seasons, where he, "... had a hand in all aspects of baseball operations, including arbitration cases, contract negotiations, rules, player evaluations, and departmental budgeting," as the Nationals' press release on the hiring today noted.

Before his time with the Reds, Miller and current Nats' GM Mike Rizzo worked together for seven seasons in Arizona where Miller started out as, "Assistant Director of Scouting, then Director of Baseball Operations," and spent the final three seasons there as, "Assistant General Manager, where he oversaw the organization’s Minor League player development from 2004-05."

Miller then joined the Reds as "Director of Baseball Administration" and moved up to Assistant GM and eventually Assistant GM and Vice President.

Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore reported in mid-October that "multiple people familiar with the situation" were telling him that the Nats and Miller were in talks to bring the veteran executive to the nation's capital.

Though the WaPost reporter noted at the time that it was, "... not clear if Miller would fill Minniti’s role precisely," he did note that, "[Miller's] responsibilities in Cincinnati dovetailed with Minniti’s in Washington," with Miller working, "... on salary arbitration cases and other contractual matters."

The hiring of Miller as VP and Assistant GM comes ten days after the Nationals, "expanded their Baseball Research and Development department" by adding Josh Weinstock as an "Analyst, Baseball Research and Development" while promoting Adam Cromie to Assistant GM and Director of Baseball Operations.

In addition to those moves, the Nationals promoted Sam Modry-Cohen to Director of Baseball Research and Development and Michael Debartolo to Manager, Baseball Research and Development.