ST. LOUIS -- A visibly emotional Miguel Cairo couldn’t speak on his new role as Nationals interim manager without first expressing gratitude for his predecessor.
Cairo was appointed on Monday after Dave Martinez was fired on Sunday following a 7 1/2-year tenure as the Nats manager. Cairo had served as Washington’s bench coach since 2024.
“It's been a rough 48 hours, and it's been hard,” Cairo said Tuesday afternoon. “My best friend, my brother, the guy that brought me over here to help him develop, help these kids win games -- it's hard to see him go.”
After Cairo was offered the job, he remained in Washington, D.C., when the team traveled to St. Louis on Sunday to carefully consider the decision. He needed to talk to someone specific first.
“The only approval, the only blessing that I needed, it was from my friend Dave Martinez,” Cairo said. “And the reason I’m doing this right now and I took the job is because I got his blessing. If he would have told me no, I would have gone home with him, gone to see my family. But he told me to do it.”
Cairo’s first game as interim manager was Tuesday in the series opener against the Cardinals. In a team meeting, he emphasized “communication, respect and trust.” He also plans to embrace Martinez’s mantra of “go 1-0 every day.”
“[I told them] that I was here because my friend Dave Martinez asked me to continue his legacy, to continue doing this job for what we start from the beginning,” Cairo said. “To me, that was the most important.”
Cairo, 51, has interim managerial experience. During his time as the White Sox bench coach, he went 18-16 as the team’s acting manager for the final 34 games of the 2022 season.
“We're going to take care of details,” Cairo said. “We're going to do the little thing better than everyone else. We’ve got the talent, we have the players, we have the team to do it. … We're going to continue working really hard to become the team that we're supposed to be.”
Cairo played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Blue Jays, Cubs, Rays, Cardinals, Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Phillies and Reds.
After retiring in 2013, he joined the Reds as a special assistant to the general manager until '17. He then became a Minor League infield coordinator for the Yankees in 2020, bench coach for the White Sox from 2021-22 and Minor League infield coordinator for the Mets in '23.
“He’s a true professional,” interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, who replaced Mike Rizzo on Sunday, said Tuesday. “His work ethic is off the charts. His experience, both playing so many different positions, playing so many years for different teams in so many different roles, front office, coaching … he’s going to bring a wealth of experience and energy to the team. I’m excited to see that.”
In a series of moves that followed, Henry Blanco was named bench coach and Bob Henley joined the Nationals coaching staff as the Major League Field coordinator.
“I’ve got so much respect for Henry,” Cairo said. “He's been here for a long time, he knows the game. … The passion that [Bobby] brings, the energy, he knows these young kids better than everyone else here. To have him beside me and our coaching staff and the players, it means a lot.”
For many of the Nationals, Martinez was the only manager they had played with in the Major Leagues. Continuing the season with coaches they already have relationships with helps adjust to the changes.
“It’s a tough period for the team,” said closer Kyle Finnegan. “To transition with people you’re familiar with, I think makes it easier.”
Cairo is committed to helping the Nationals, who entered Tuesday 37-53 and fifth in the NL East, continue improving and developing. And even though he won’t see Martinez on a daily basis, he knows that bond will continue, too.
“I’m going to miss him today, but the relationship, it’s always going to be there,” said Cairo.