The Washington Nationals hired Devin Pearson as assistant general manager, plucking the Red Sox director of amateur scouting less than three weeks after promoting Mike Rizzo's replacement. Pearson joins new GM Kevin Long's front office after spending six years building Boston's draft board.

Pearson ran amateur scouting for Boston since 2019, overseeing first-round picks that included Marcelo Mayer (2021, fourth overall, now the system's top prospect), Kyle Teel (2023, fourteenth overall), and Kristian Campbell (2023, fourth round, promoted to Triple-A in 13 months). He previously worked as a regional crosschecker and spent time in Detroit's system. Long, who left his own Red Sox assistant GM role in November to take Washington's top job, is moving without hesitation to rewire the Nationals' talent pipeline.

This matters because Washington's farm system ranks 28th per MLB Pipeline, weighted toward pitching depth but thin on impact bats. The Nationals hold the third overall pick in the 2025 draft and roughly $9.7 million in bonus pool money, the fourth-largest allocation in baseball. Pearson now controls that capital. His Boston drafts favored college hitters with present hit tools and advanced plate discipline—Campbell hit .324 across three levels in 2024; Teel posted a .380 on-base as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Washington's recent drafts leaned harder on high-variance prep arms (Brady House, Elijah Green). Pearson's arrival signals a tilt toward safer, faster-moving college position players who can support a franchise reset that Rizzo, after 16 years as GM, left unfinished.

The structural piece: Long is assembling a front office with Boston's decision-making architecture. Assistant GMs in modern organizations run verticals—pro scouting, international, amateur, analytics. Pearson's hire suggests Long is carving the amateur vertical first and will likely name a pro scouting counterpart before spring training. Washington still employs three assistant GMs from the Rizzo era (Mark Scialabba, Doug Harris, De Jon Watson). Two of them now report to a GM who spent 13 months in their building. Retention is not guaranteed. The Nationals' $180 million payroll sits mid-pack, but ownership authorized $225 million as recently as 2019. A competent draft infrastructure makes that spending less urgent and more efficient.

Watch for a pro scouting hire by mid-February, likely from Long's Boston network or Tampa Bay's surplus of directors. The Nationals pick third on July 13, and Pearson will attend roughly 40 college games between now and May. Watch also for departures among Washington's regional scouts, many of whom predate Rizzo. Long's assistant GM count should stabilize at four by Opening Day.

Pearson's phone started ringing the day Rizzo's job posting went live. He answered the call from the one person who already knew his board.