Bowden abruptly stepped down Sunday morning after four seasons, leaving under the cloud of a federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to Latin American prospects.

He has maintained his innocence in the matter, but said Sunday, "I've become a distraction."

"It's an emotional decision. It saddens me. But I feel it's in the best interest of two of the things I love the most, and that's the Washington Nationals and baseball," Bowden added.

Seated at a table with Nationals president Stan Kasten before a small contingent of reporters and team officials, Bowden read from a prepared statement, sometimes deviating from the script as he struggled to contain his emotions.

No replacement was immediately announced.

"We're not planning on missing a beat," Kasten said. "Our staff has a meeting tomorrow morning, first thing. I'm not going to have anything to say to you about next steps for a while - later in the week."

Bowden is the only GM the Nationals have had since the franchise moved from Montreal to Washington before the 2005 season, overseeing a team that went 81-81 in that debut season but has been below .500 ever since.

Last season, the Nationals were a major league-worst 59-102.

"It takes a lot of courage for (Bowden) to do that," Washington manager Manny Acta said after Sunday's 7-5 exhibition loss to Baltimore. "Is he perfect? No. But few are brighter and few work harder."

Bowden's tenure with the club was marked by such moves as the trade for Alfonso Soriano, the failure to re-sign Soriano, free-agent busts such as Paul Lo Duca and reclamation projects such as Dmitri Young.

"When I came here ... the single thing that stood out for me about why we needed someone with Jim's skill is that he's resourceful," Kasten said. "We needed someone that would look around every corner, look under every rock to find the pieces that we could put into place. Because of that, we have a foundation that looks very exciting for '09."

Young revived his career in Washington in 2007 - after a 2006 that saw him go through a divorce, undergo treatment for alcohol, substance abuse and depression, and plead guilty to assaulting his girlfriend before being released by the Detroit Tigers.

"He was known for giving guys second chances, me included," Young said, ticking off the beneficiaries of Bowden's penchant for redemption. "There wasn't a team out there that wanted to touch me with a 10-foot pole. He's the one that gave me an opportunity."

Bowden also drew unwanted off-field attention, including in 2006, when he was charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test while in Miami.

"Like anyone else, I have made mistakes in all areas of my personal and professional life, but I leave here with the true belief that I have done nothing intentionally to harm the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball," Bowden said in a statement released by the team Sunday.

He met last year with FBI investigators looking into allegations of skimming of signing bonuses, and SI.com reported last weekend that Bowden's actions are being examined as far back as 1994, when he was GM of the Cincinnati Reds.

Washington Nationals News News » Bowden: 'I've become a distraction'
Bowden: 'I've become a distraction'
VIERA, Fla. (AP) - Jim Bowden's final move as Washington Nationals general manager was his own resignation. MLB Spring Training