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After manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo were fired simultaneously yesterday, the first order of business for interim general manager Mike DeBartolo was to hire an interim manager. With a day-off today as the team readies for a game tomorrow in St. Louis, DeBartolo had time to make his decision and chose Miguel Cairo from within the organization. And when we say inside the organization, he was Martinez’s bench coach in the dugout.

On November 7, 2023, the Nationals hired Cairo as their bench coach for the 2024 season and extended him last August for the 2025 season. He and Martinez were teammates for parts of three seasons with the Devil Rays between 1998 and 2000. Many said they were friends outside of work. It had to be a difficult decision for Cairo to take the job. At 51 years old, you don’t know how many opportunities you will have.

Over 17 seasons in the major leagues, Cairo played six different positions for nine different teams. Immediately following his retirement as a player after the 2012 season, Cairo took a job as a special assistant in the Reds’ front office and briefly served as the team’s interim bench coach. He then moved on to the Yankees organization, working in the player development department and as a minor league infield coordinator. He even coached the Nats for parts of games when Martinez was on bereavement leave or got ejected. Prior to that he was Tony La Russa’s bench coach starting in 2021. He was promoted to acting manager for the final month of the 2022 season when LaRussa was placed on medical leave. Cairo interviewed to be the permanent manager and did not get the job despite going 18-16 in his 34 games at the helm. He then took a job as the minor league infield coordinator with the Mets for the 2023 season before taking the job with the Nationals.

“Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball,” said Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo. “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.”

DeBartolo used the word “energy” which has been the buzz word of the past few days that the team was looking “to raise “fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action” per principal owner Mark Lerner.

On June 29th in Anaheim, Martinez was ejected from the game and Cairo came in and made several smart moves, not all worked out, but he was thinking and raising the probabilities of success with each move. His final move was keeping closer Kyle Finnegan, with a low pitch count, in for the final 3-innings that got the Nats the win and the series win against the Angels.

A native of Anaco, Venezuela, Cairo made his Major League debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996 before stints with the Chicago Cubs (1997, 2001), Tampa Bay Rays (1998–2000), St. Louis Cardinals (2001–03, 2007), New York Yankees (2004, 2006–07), New York Mets (2005), Seattle Mariners (2008), Philadelphia Phillies (2009) and Cincinnati Reds (2010–12).