Paul Toboni shows ‘belief’ in Nationals after acquiring Connelly Early: They have the ‘it’ to them

The Curtis Mead trade showed the duality of Paul Toboni.

The Nationals’ president of baseball operations sat in the stands during Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks, solemnly watching Mead’s final at-bat in the eighth inning. The trade hadn’t been consummated. The players hadn’t passed their physicals.

But Toboni knew it was likely Mead’s final game with the team that took a chance on him and watched him prosper into the player he always felt he could be.

For as data-driven as Toboni is, he also understands and values the human element. For as excited as he was about acquiring left-hander Connelly Early from Boston, he made it an emphasis to describe the difficulty in parting with Mead. Toboni remained steadfast in his belief of Mead.

“Part of me wanted to cry,” Toboni said Sunday morning. “I don’t want to lose this guy, but at the end of the day, if you’re not willing to make these really hard decisions, you’re probably not totally cut out for the job, which is a tricky part to it.”

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the trade between the Nationals and Red Sox. Brady House, who posted an .842 OPS at Triple-A Rochester, was recalled to take Mead’s spot on the roster and man third base.

Losing Mead is a blow to the clubhouse and the lineup, but that his absence will be felt is a testament to the work Mead put into improving. His ascent was an organizational win for the Nationals. He was fourth on the team in homers (17) and third in OPS (.852).

His fastidiousness and determination stood out as he rose from a platoon bat against lefties into an everyday player. He ingrained himself into the clubhouse, bonding with teammates over chess games and how he thought about the game.

In a baseball landscape that is filled with model-driven front offices, the Nationals chief among them, Toboni still values the emotional and unquantifiable aspects of the sport. The soft skills that don’t show up in a spreadsheet are important to him. Manager Blake Butera, who had a long-term relationship with Mead from their time in Tampa Bay, said it was emotional saying goodbye.

“It was really weird,” Butera said. “We were both sad. I told Curtis this trade’s a little bit different than the ones he’s been a part of earlier in his career. That should hopefully give him some confidence and some reassurance that he’s a major league player and he’s a good major league player. The Red Sox are lucky to have him and extremely excited to have him.”

Toboni understood how rare it is to acquire a pitcher like Early, who’s 24 and under team control until 2031. Early, before going on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation July 1, was 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA over 17 starts. He’s scheduled to make a rehab start on Aug. 3, and the Nationals anticipate that he will pitch for the team this season, which was part of the calculus in making the trade.

Toboni oversaw Early’s development during his time in the Boston front office. He said Early is a “stud” who will assimilate well to the clubhouse.

“We believe in this team, and we want to give them a shot,” Toboni said. “Connelly, I think, helps with that. Obviously, it’s a blow with Curtis leaving. But at the same time we still have the same trust and belief with Brady coming up and others that will contribute. On the whole, it just made sense for us.”

Washington acquired Mead after he was designated for assignment by the White Sox. The Nationals took a flier on a former top prospect who had a history with Butera.

Washington poured into Mead, helping him maximize his talent. He took a bit role against left-handed pitching and flourished, eventually earning regular at-bats and turning into a pillar of the lineup. Washington wasn’t shopping Mead, according to Toboni.

Trade discussions heated up a few days ago, and Toboni said the organization was “not really expecting to consider anything for Curtis.” But the aggressiveness of the Red Sox’s pursuit, combined with the opportunity to acquire a potential front-line starter under team control for another five seasons, was too enticing to pass on.

“Ultimately, we got to the point where you all saw [that] we thought it made sense,” Toboni said. “But it was a difficult one, given our love for Curtis the person, the player, all of it.”

The right decisions are often difficult, and if the Nationals want to continue in the wild-card hunt, the rotation was a clear deficiency that needed addressing. This move doesn’t change how aggressive the team will be in targeting controllable starting pitchers. It also doesn’t preclude it from holding trade calls on Foster Griffin.

Entering this season, the notion of the Nationals being buyers seemed highly unlikely. The club was coming off its fifth straight season of at least 90 losses and in deep need of a reset. But, as the offense blossomed into one of the best in baseball, Toboni had to adjust his thinking. The thought of being clear sellers didn’t make as much sense with the offense becoming a force.

At 53-52, the Nationals entered Sunday two games back in the wild-card race. It’s important to note that they didn’t acquire a prospect who needs multiple years of developing in the minors. They acquired a pitcher who, pending his recovery, could bolster the rotation this season and in the future. The Nationals have played their way into earning Toboni’s stamp of approval.

“There is a belief on my end in this group,” Toboni said. “No matter how it goes, I want to do a really diligent job exploring all those opportunities because these guys deserve it, and it’s not to say we’re going to do anything irrational or that doesn’t make sense with our greater strategy here. But this team, they have the “it” to them. I don’t know how it’s defined.

“Talent aside, they just get along great with each other. They challenge each other. The way the staff and the players interact, it’s really cool. We’re gonna really try and compete and make a run.”