The Washington Nationals are finalizing a deal to hire Blake Butera as their next manager, tasking him with guiding their young roster at a critical moment for the franchise. The decision to hire Butera — a 33-year-old who worked as the senior director of player development for the Tampa Bay Rays last season — was confirmed Thursday by three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been announced.

The skipper, chosen by new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, is set to join a club at an inflection point in its rebuild, coming off a 66-win campaign. The terms of Butera’s contract were not immediately known.

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