In 1943, Red Auerbach played for the Harrisburg Senators as a point guard on their basketball team. Before that, he played for George Washington University. Auerbach earned 16 NBA championship rings with the Celtics (9 as a coach and 7 as an executive) and prior to that, his adult years started in Washington, D.C.

For Auerbach’s first paid job, he coached high school basketball at St. Albans Prep in D.C. around 1940. Then he had his World War II enlistment before returning to coaching in the D.C. area. In 1950, he joined the coaching staff of the Boston Celtics, and as they say, the rest was history. He actually finished out his final years in D.C. where he passed away.

Considered one of the greatest minds in sports, Auerbach was an innovator and a strategist credited with the fast break and so much more. When he talked, they all listened. He created statement points that were original and part of his genius before they became clichés. Auerbach had been credited with saying, “Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you don’t make.”

That quote should be on the wall of every sports executive’s office. Stare at it. Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons before you call it in to the MLB office to make it official.

That quote became a cliché over the decades and has found itself transformed numerous times in different quotes depending on the situation. “Sometimes, the best deals are the ones you don’t make.” That mirrors the business philosophy from The Art of the Deal book that noted, sometimes your best investments are the ones you choose to walk away from. Kenny Rogers in the Gambler, “Know when to hold ’em, and know when to fold ’em.”

Timing is everything. Cher asked if we could just turn back time. You cannot. This isn’t Biff with the Almanac in “Back To The Future II.” He obviously knew the Cubs were winning the World Series in 2015 2017. Maybe when they remaster the movie they will get the date right. 😉

The reason we bring this all up is because some executives think you have to be making moves to prove you are working. Everyone is watching. So what. Let them watch. Don’t have someone force your hand.

Washington Nationals President, Paul Toboni, has quoted Auerbach before. He’s quoted Bill Walsh too. He’s quoted Morgan Wooten. I’d swear he quoted me before when he talked about building a good team from a strong foundation. Heck, I probably heard that from Auerbach when he was having lunch with David Falk and John Thompson at the old Houston’s restaurant in Bethesda. Yes, I was eavesdropping when I heard Michael Jordan’s name mentioned. Those were the days before cellphone cameras.

During the Winter Meetings, Toboni got busy. His first consummated big deal was when he traded Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon. Yes, the team had a need at catcher. But they had a bigger need at closer as we know now. Two days later he drafted Griff McGarry as a Rule-5, who by the way has a 6.26 ERA in Triple-A this year. Luckily during Spring Training, Toboni knew that McGarry was a mistake and sent him back to Philly. In mid-December, Toboni traded one of the team’s depth starting pitching prospects, Jake Bennett, for Red Sox prospect Luis Perales. All of that happened from December 6 to December 15. That was quite the 10-day span.

Don’t fret. None of those trades can be fairly judged today, tomorrow, and possibly even two years from now. Only Toboni knows what he would do if he could have a re-do and turn back time for his first 15 days of December?

From December 22 to the end of January, Toboni was cooking. He signed Foster Griffin as a free agent, and did the blockbuster trade of MacKenzie Gore. He signed Joey Wiemer. He claimed George Soriano off waivers. All great moves, right? That was a really great six weeks.

But in February, did Toboni panic? During that month, he traded away Soriano for Andre Granillo, and signed Cionel Perez. Both were DFA’d and no longer with the team. Then he signed Miles Mikolas. Those were three bad moves. We can all agree on that. Not a good month of February for deals. But Toboni needed starting pitchers and Mikolas didn’t cost much at $2.25 million plus incentive bonuses. OK, not awful on Mikolas.

As Steve Mears sourced at the time, Toboni had budget left to spend when he signed Mikolas and Perez for another $1.9 million. And that certainly became clear when he signed Zack Littell for $7 million plus more millions via incentive bonuses in March when Spring Training was nearing the end. Combined what he spent on Mikolas, Perez and Littell plus the incentives money was well over $12 million. What if you spent that earlier and added a little more to it? Again, no do-overs.

Really as it looks, most people think Toboni built the roster not thinking he would have the top offense in baseball and be a game over .500 and 1½ games from the Wild Card. This is the part that should have him as the MLB Executive of the Year. Even with everything you question, where the Nats are is amazing.

The only move Toboni made to the starting position roster was not even the Harry Ford move because he was sent to Triple-A. It was Toboni’s trade on March 28 for Curtis Mead. The rest of the starting position players were inherited from the 2025 Nationals roster. Really thought, Mead wasn’t the only move. Toboni rebuilt the entire MLB coaching staff anew with only retaining Sean Doolittle from the previous staff. He brought in nearly an entire new front office. So while the names are the same for his “A” lineup except Mead, they are now coached up players. Can we say coaching matters, or is that too sappy?

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. Again, time machine back and Toboni would have it all fixed. There is a reality to all of this and lessons learned. One thing about former Nats’ GM Mike Rizzo is that he excelled at trades. Even his most controversial trade for Adam Eaton was a key to winning the 2019 World Series.

These Nats would not be where they are without Rizzo’s Juan Soto trade. Look at what that netted with James Wood and CJ Abrams as well as Gore who Toboni traded for a haul. Again, same characters, different movie script.

Phone a friend. What advice would Rizzo give Toboni at the trade deadline? My guess, make a deal now that can better the team for the remainder of the year and beyond. If the deal isn’t there, stand firm. Don’t chase deals, and don’t act desperate. Other GMs prey on desperation.

In the fictional Draft Day movie, Sonny Weaver Jr. tells the desperate Jacksonville general manager, Jeff Carson, that every year someone looks like a “donkey,” warning him he will be that person if he doesn’t trade his No. 6 draft pick for three years of second-round draft choices that Weaver holds. Yes, in the NFL you can trade draft picks. Weaver took advantage of the new GM.

Sometimes you have to be the parent and just yell, NO! Toboni is under NO obligation to help other teams. He can retain Griffin as Jake Mintz just suggested on his newest Baseball-Bar-B-Cast podcast segment:

“The Nationals should not trade Foster Griffin. I think there is real value in not kicking your fanbase in the head. A fanbase that has suffered and wallowed over the last [six] seasons. A fanbase that has hope. …

You’re [also] telling your players, ‘Sorry’ [if you traded him]. … Trading Foster Griffin would send a weird message to this group. … It’s not even about making the playoffs this year. … The Nats are focused on the bigger picture and the long-term. There’s an argument: It is better for the long-term health to keep Foster Griffin around — to teach your players how to play in a relative playoff race. Continue to grow this culture of development then whatever prospect you’re going to get back for Griffin.”

Mintz’s podcast partner chimed in, “Good luck with that Paul Toboni.”

Yes good luck with all of that. Everyone has opinions. Mintz has a very different angle. That’s good to hear. Because too often the talking heads want action. They need to feel like they got it right on their show or podcast or blog or at their watercooler. They need talking points. Doing nothing isn’t good for their business. Mintz might have given the best advice. Keep Griffin, see how it goes, and maybe you Q.O. him at the end of the year.

We are ten games away from the trade deadline. Don’t expect a miracle. Going 7-3 sounds very aggressive given the next three series are against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Toronto Blue Jays, and then four games against the Atlanta Braves. If the Washington Nationals go 6-4 they get to the morning of the trade deadline on August 3ʳᵈ at 58-55, is that enough for Toboni to buy?

Is that enough justification not to sell? Reality sets in — that the decision probably needs to be made after Wednesday afternoon’s game concludes with Toronto before the team gets on their charter jet for Atlanta. That would give Toboni five days to do his thing. Maybe Toboni looks at Auerbach’s quote and says, “Nope, I’m not doing that trade.”