The Washington Nationals are set to go outside the box with their reported managerial hire. 

The team will hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new skipper, per multiple reports. Butera would become the youngest person to manage in the big leagues since 1972.

Frank Quilici was also 33 years old in his first season as manager of the Minnesota Twins. 

Butera had previously been the senior player development director for the Tampa Bay Rays. He has named to that role in October 2023 after spending four seasons managing in the minor leagues. 

In his first season as manager in the minor leagues, he was just 25 years old. Over those four seasons, he had a 258-144 record with four first-place finishes. In Butera’s last two seasons managing Low-A Charleston, he won league championships and went 170-82.

Butera transitioned to coaching after spending two seasons as a player in the Rays’ minor league system. Across his two seasons in the minors, he had a .235 batting average.

BLUE JAYS ONE WIN FROM WORLD SERIES TITLE AFTER TREY YESAVAGE’S DOMINANT GAME 5 PERFORMANCE

Blake Butera (10) of Team Italy poses for a photo during the Team Italy 2023 World Baseball Classic headshots at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, on March 4, 2023. (Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

He was drafted out of Boston College in the 35th round of the 2015 draft. Butera played four seasons at BC and was the team’s captain. 

The Nationals fired manager Davey Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo in July. The pair had helped lead the franchise to a World Series title in 2019. 

Hudson Valley Renegades manager Blake Butera poses at Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, New York, on June 12, 2019. (Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal via IMAGN)

Martinez had a 500-622 record across nearly eight seasons at the helm. Interim manager Miguel Cairo had a 29-43 record after Martinez was fired. 

The Nationals hired former Boston Red Sox general manager Paul Toboni in September to replace Rizzo. They hope the combination of Toboni and Butera can help lead the Nationals back to the World Series. 

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The NBA board of governors unanimously approved Mark Walter’s bid to buy a majority stake in the Lakers on Thursday, the league announced, marking a major shift for one of L.A.’s most significant sports teams.

The Lakers had been a family-run team since Dr. Jerry Buss bought the franchise in 1979. When he died in 2013, control went into a family trust with daughter Jeanie Buss acting as the team’s governor. The Buss family built the team into one of the most recognizable brands in sports, eventually attracting a record-breaking $10-billion valuation. While the sale was finalized, Jeanie Buss will be the team’s governor for at least five years after the transaction officially closes, the league announcement stated.

“The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, defined by a history of excellence and the relentless pursuit of greatness,” Walter said in a statement released by the team. “Few teams carry the legacy and global influence of the Lakers, and it’s a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss as we maintain that excellence and set the standard for success in this new era, both on and off the court.”

Walter, who also heads the group that owns the Dodgers and the Sparks, was seated next to Buss at the Lakers’ season opener on Oct. 21. Walter and Todd Boehly have been minority stakeholders in the Lakers since 2021 when they bought 27% of the franchise.

To represent the team as a governor, a minority owner must have at least 15% stake of their team. Buss will continue to oversee day-to-day team operations for the foreseeable future, the Lakers announced.

“Over the past decade, I have come to know Mark well — first as a businessman, then as a friend and now as a colleague,” Buss said in a statement. “He has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to bringing championships to Los Angeles, and, on behalf of Lakers fans everywhere, I am beyond excited about what our future has in store.”

During a recent Lakers game, when the camera panned to Buss and Walter sitting courtside, Buss held one finger up to show off a gaudy Lakers championship ring. In 2020, she became the first female controlling owner to win an NBA championship as the Lakers collected their 17th title.

With 11 championships under the Buss family’s watch, the Lakers became a global sports phenomenon with stars including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant plus the latest wave of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. When Doncic signed a three-year, $165-million contract extension in August, the 26-year-old superstar thanked both Walter and Buss for their belief in his talent.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared Wednesday that LSU athletic director Scott Woodward would be stripped of his authority in the school’s search for its next head football coach.

LSU is pursuing a new football coach after deciding this week to part ways with Brian Kelly. Woodward announced Kelly’s departure on Sunday, one day after the Tigers’ 49-25 loss to Texas A&M. 

Kelly left Notre Dame after the 2021 season and ultimately spent fewer than four full seasons in Baton Rouge.

“We had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Woodward said in the announcement. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the decision to make a change after last night’s game.”

LSU continues to finalize Kelly’s $54 million buyout, a figure that Landry has criticized.

“We are not going down a failed path,” Landry said Wednesday during a news conference. “The guy that’s here now that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M $77 million. Right now, we’ve got a $53 million liability. We are not doing that again.”

The $77 million figure Landry mentioned was a reference to former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, whom Woodward hired and whose contract negotiations he oversaw. According to multiple reports, private donors could be tapped to cover some of the costs of Kelly’s buyout, which could be further offset if Kelly lands another coaching job. 

Woodward has served as LSU’s athletic director since 2019. The school paid Ed Orgeron a buyout of more than $17 million following his dismissal in 2021.

LSU football head coach Brian Kelly, right, talks with LSU athletics director Scott Woodward before the game at Williams-Brice Stadium, in Columbia, S.C. (LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

“No. I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting the next coach,” Landry said. “I’ll let [President] Donald Trump select him before I let him do it.”

‘FORCE THEM TO TURN DOWN $15M’: THE 4 CALLS LSU WILL MAKE FOR ITS NEXT HEAD COACH

The Republican governor added: “The Board of Supervisors are going to come up with a committee, and they’re going to find us a coach.” Members of the board or appointed by the governor.

Fox News Digital contacted the LSU athletic department for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly stands on the sideline during a game against Vanderbilt, Oct. 18, in Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Landry made it clear that the Tigers’ next coach would be “compensated properly.” He did, however, call for placing “metrics” on the deal.

“I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country,” the governor said.

Landry also confirmed that he participated in talks about a coaching change leading up to Kelly’s removal.

“My role is about the fiscal effect of firing a coach under a terrible contract,” he said Wednesday. “All I care about is what the taxpayers are going to be on the hook for.”

Despite LSU’s efforts to boost funding to pay transfer portal players, Kelly largely failed to meet expectations of competing for a national championship.

LSU is currently on a bye week; Alabama hosts the Tigers on Nov. 8.

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