The Nationals announced on Friday that former Diamondbacks and Dodgers executive De Jon Watson has been added to their pro scouting staff and will serve as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo.

Watson served as the Diamondbacks’ senior vice president of baseball operations from Sept. 2014 through Sept. 2016 before being dismissed in advance of a significant front office overhaul in Arizona. Though the 2016 struggles of the D-backs led to a considerable amount of criticism for all parties involved in that iteration of the front office, Watson has long been a respected executive and will bring a wealth of experience to the Washington front office.

With the D-backs, Watson’s duties included “[overseeing] the franchise’s professional, amateur and international scouting as well as all player development functions.” Prior to his time with the Diamondbacks, Watson spent eight seasons in the front office of the Dodgers, working in a variety of roles that included lengthy stints as an assistant GM and the team’s vice president of player development. He also served as the Indians’ director of pro scouting and the Reds’ director of scouting after first breaking into the business as an area scout with the Marlins.