News Nationals Team Notes

[Washington Nationals]

This Free Agent Played 2 Years With New Nationals Manager Blake Butera. Could He Be A Fit in DC?

New Nationals skipper Blake Butera, as noted by many, does not have much professional playing experience, spending just 2 seasons in the minor leagues for the Rays before calling it quits, peaking at the Low A level. Before that, he spent 4 years playing collegiate ball at Boston College, where he was a spark-plug up the middle for the Eagles, posting a .378 on-base percentage and tallying over 200 hits in his collegiate career. Many will criticize Butera’s lack of professional playing experience, but the truth is managers in today’s era of baseball are perfectly capable of pushing all the right buttons without having been the ones on the field, and their more important task is managing all the personalities inside of a clubhouse.

One interesting aspect of having a manager so young is that many of the connections he made along the way in his career are still kicking it in the majors. Take, for example, the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Low A affiliate of the Rays in 2016, where Butera played 4 games, who had 5 future big leaguers on their roster, including Nathaniel Lowe, the former National. The same can be said for the Princeton Rays, one of the Rays’ two rookie teams at the time, who also had 5 former big leaguers who played alongside Butera, the most notable being Josh Lowe and Jesus Sanchez.

The connection I want to look at, however, actually comes from Butera’s college days. Michael King, pitcher for the Padres who will likely be a free agent this offseason, pending his decision on his contract option, played 2 years with Butera at BC, posting a 2.93 and 3.03 ERA in those years, respectively. King has transformed himself throughout his career, going from a starter at Boston College to a reliever with the Yankees, back to a starter again for the Padres after joining them in the second Juan Soto trade. Now at 30 years old, he will finally hit the open market, where he should be a hot commodity, although there are a few arms who may distract the richest ball clubs from pursuing him first, such as Framber Valdez and Dylan Cease.

So could King be enticed to come play under his former college teammate in DC? While it is rather unlikely, as contenders will be lining up for King’s services, it isn’t worth ruling out, as often in the offseason, there are always a few players who end up taking contracts they were not expecting to take at the beginning of winter. Often, these players go into the offseason with unreasonable contract expectations, and when the market will not budge, they have to settle for a short-term, high average annual value contract, putting them in a position to test the market again in a year or two. A recent notable example of this is Blake Snell, who, after winning the NL Cy Young with the Padres in 2023, had to settle for a 2 year, $62 million contract with the Giants, which he opted out of after 1 season and signed with the Dodgers.

So if King finds himself in this position this offseason, where no one is willing to give him the number of years he desires in a deal, there is an opportunity for the Nationals to swoop in and give him one of those short-term deals. For King, the benefit of this type of deal would be that he gets his first real payday, all while getting another chance on the open market the following offseason if he performs to his best level. He can also practically guarantee he will find himself pitching in the postseason as well, as either the Nats make a run and he remains on the club, or the team is out of the playoff race by the trade deadline and King is flipped to a contender for prospects.

For the Nats, the benefit is that they get an ace for a rotation that is in dire need of help, especially if MacKenzie Gore is, in fact, traded this offseason. They also, if they find themself out of contention, have the ability to trade him at the deadline and bolster the farm system some more. While I would not expect the Nationals to be favorites by any means in the Michael King sweepstakes, weird things can happen during the offseason, and Paul Toboni may want to make a signing that announces himself in a big way this winter.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...onals-manager-blake-butera-could-he-be-fit-dc

 

[Washington Nationals]

Blake Butera and the recent history of MLB managers in their 30’s

Paul Toboni and the Washington Nationals made a bold move hiring Blake Butera. At just 33 years old, he will be the youngest manager in over 50 years. Thursday was a big day for Butera, as he not only became a manager, but also became a father. Talk about living the dream.

Even more unbelievable than becoming an MLB manager at 33 years old: Blake Butera became a father yesterday, too.

He and his wife, Caroline, welcomed their first child, Blair Margaux Butera, on Thursday.

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) October 31, 2025

The last manager younger than Butera was Frank Quilici back in 1972. With that in mind, I wanted to discuss some managers who got jobs in their mid-30’s and take a look at how they did. It is a mixed bag with some big successes and other guys who were not ready for prime time.

In the early days of baseball, young managers were pretty common. That is because sometimes there were player managers back in the early 1900’s. However, there were also some non-players who got managerial roles at a very young age. For example, the famous Branch Rickey got a managerial job at 31 years old back in 1913.

However, as the game evolved, young managers became less common and the player manager went extinct. In the 1960’s and 1970’s though, there were a lot of young managers, some of whom we will discuss.

The first person I want to talk about is the last manager younger than Butera. That would be Frank Quilici. He got the job as Twins manager at 33 as well. Unfortunately for him, his stint as Twins manager was mediocre. His career record was 280-287, always finishing around .500.

However, Quilici was not the only young manager in that era. There are two Reds managers that could provide hope to Nats fans. The first is Dave Bristol, who got the Reds managerial job in 1966, at 33 years old. Like Butera, he took over a young team. Bristol helped develop young players like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Gary Nolan.

The Reds were winning games with Bristol, including an 89 win season in 1969. However, the Reds were not satisfied with the results and wanted a manager to take them over the top. They went the young route again and hired a 36 year old named Sparky Anderson.

If you are a baseball historian, you know that hiring was a success. Anderson won two World Series titles in Cincinnati with his big red machine teams and became a Hall of Fame manager. It is possible that Butera is a Dave Bristol type figure. A manager who gets the Nats back on track before someone else takes things to the next level. He could also be a Sparky Anderson, but he has a long way to go to accomplish that.

In the modern era, there have also been a few notable managers in their 30’s to get jobs. There have been some hits, but also some misses. One cautionary tale is actually AJ Hinch. Now we know Hinch as one of the best managers in all of baseball. However, that was not always the case.

Hinch got the Diamondbacks managerial job midway through the 2009 season at just 35 years old. He took over for Bob Melvin and led the team to a mediocre 58-75 finish to the season. Hinch got a chance to be the manager going into the season in 2010. However, he was fired midway through the season with his team in last place.

Hinch was not ready for prime time yet. Whether it was the talent on the roster or his lack of experience, he did not work out in Arizona. It would be four years before Hinch managed again. Of course, he took over the Astros job and had a ton of success, even if his tenure was full of controversy. Now Hinch manages the Tigers and is seen as one of the best in the business.

Hinch was not ready right away, but he clearly had the managerial talent. Even if Butera does not work out right away, he could be a massive success if he is given time. Hopefully that is with the Nationals and not somewhere else.

Other young managers include Eric Wedge, who took over a young team in Cleveland in 2003 at 35 years old. Like the Nats, the Indians were starting to lose their way after a long run of success. Wedge got the Indians back to the playoffs and helped build a young core. He had his ups and downs, but had a pretty successful stint in Cleveland.

Kevin Cash is seen as the model manager in many ways. He is immersed in analytics being the Tampa Bay Rays manager. However, he is also great in the locker room and has become empowered over the years. He got the job at 37 years old and has had a ton of success. Cash finished under .500 in his first three seasons, but once he got rolling, he has not looked back. The Rays are consistently competing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball while operating a shoe string budget. A lot of that is thanks to Cash.

A recent young manager is Oliver Marmol of the Cardinals, who got the role at 35 years old. The Cardinals are a club in transition, so the wins have not always been there, but Marmol is not the problem in St. Louis. He seems to be growing into the position as he gets closer to 40. The Cardinals will need to build a more talented roster around him, but there is no indication that he is going anywhere despite the poor results.

As we have laid out, hiring a young manager can go either way. However, most of the time it requires patience. Outside of Sparky Anderson, the wins did not come right away for these managers. Often these young guys come in to manage young teams. The manager grows with the team and they improve together.

This will be no different for Blake Butera. While he got his start managing at just 25 years old, he is still relatively inexperienced. Nats fans will have to give him some grace to start. However, eventually a lot of these guys get things rolling by their second or third season.

The Nationals plan to hire Blake Butera, who will be the youngest MLB manager since 1972.

In 2018, Butera was just 25 when he took the helm for the Hudson Valley Renegades: https://t.co/SknzU1W4oV pic.twitter.com/ZgdlSPgz0x

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) October 30, 2025

That is what I think will happen with Butera too. There may not be a ton of wins in year one, but hopefully we will see progress. As Paul Toboni and Butera develop their player development monster, the wins will hopefully start to come by year 2 or 3.

This is a risk, there is no doubt about it. Not all of these young guys have worked. Even the ones that did work eventually took a long time to start rolling. However, when guys are hired this young it is often because they are super impressive and talented. Blake Butera seems to fit that mold. Hopefully he can become the next Sparky Anderson or AJ Hinch.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...ake-butera-recent-history-mlb-managers-in-30s

 

[Washington Nationals]

A love letter to my favorite player of all time Max Scherzer

My favorite player of all time is taking the ball tonight for Game 7 of the World Series. That of course is Max Scherzer. I am nervous for him because he obviously is not what he once was at 41 years old. However, he still has that competitive hunger that made him my favorite player a decade ago.

Max Scherzer is one of those players you cannot miss. Between the different colored eyes and his insanely intense demeanor, Max Scherzer sticks out like a sore thumb. Your eyes just are just drawn towards him. Scherzer is everything you want from your ace, and that is something Nationals fans learned quickly.

When Max Scherzer was signed, I was not a child, but I was still young at 14 years old when he threw his first pitch. So Scherzer was not my childhood hero, more like a hero of my adolescence. Mad Max was just an absolute titan. Whenever he took the mound, you knew there was a chance magic could happen.

Whenever he got through two or three innings without a hit, you always thought that this could be one of those special nights. Oftentimes it was a special night, whether it was a double-digit strikeout performance, a complete game, or even a no hitter. There was always magic in the air on Scherzday.

As he takes the mound for what could be the final time, I just wanted to write about some of my favorite Scherzer memories. There are so many and some that I might not even remember off the top of my head. I will go over my favorite moments though.

The one game that epitomized Max Scherzer the most was in 2019 when he pitched with a broken nose. A day before his start, Scherzer was taking batting practice when he bunted a ball directly off his face. He was a bloody mess with a broken nose and an eye that was extremely swollen.

It was a start in the middle of the season for a guy who had won three Cy Young’s in his career. Nobody would blame Max if he had to miss a start or two. After all, he had just broken his nose. Max Scherzer is built different though.

The next day Scherzer gave us a masterpiece. Amped up, Mad Max was throwing harder than normal and giving us some crazy grunts. The swelling around his eye was just jiggling around after every pitch. It was an absolute spectacle and the crowd was loving it.

PHL @ WSH
June 19, 2019

Max Scherzer Ks 10 with a broken nose and black eye pic.twitter.com/InX3zoYgSw

— Paul Toboni Believer (@Nats_HRs) January 4, 2024

Scherzer would throw seven scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters. He led the Nats to a win in a time of the season where they desperately needed them. The Nats were clawing back from their infamous 19-31 start, so they needed every win they could get. Scherzer stepped up and delivered with a battered face. That is just the kind of competitor Mad Max was and still is.

While he is long in the tooth these days, you still see the fire. He gave Blue Jays fans a taste of one of his signature moves in the ALCS. Scherzer was an out away from finishing the 5th inning, when the Jays manager John Schneider came out to the mound. Mad Max was having none of it and ran Schneider off his mound. That moment brought me back to the good old days.

Max Scherzer does NOT want to leave this game. pic.twitter.com/Yip0331WWw

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 17, 2025

That is one of my favorite things about Max. He is like a predator on the mound and the batters are his prey. When he is really rolling, Scherzer would stalk around the back of the mound when he got outs. As he got deeper into the game, he would stalk further away from the mound. Scherzer just has the best mound presence in MLB history for me.

However, that does not matter much if you are not elite, and boy was Max Scherzer elite. When he signed for mega money with the Nats, it raised a lot of eyebrows. The contract was seen as an overpay at the time. However, Mad Max quickly silenced the doubters.

His first season in DC might be the most memorable one. Scherzer had the best two start run in MLB history against the Brewers and the Pirates. Against Milwaukee, Scherzer flirted with a no-hitter, but came up short, allowing a bloop hit to Carlos Gomez. However, he did fire a 16 strikeout complete game in an absurdly dominant performance.

He out-did himself in his next start though. Against the Pirates, he did pull off a no-hitter. However, it was probably the biggest let down of a no-no ever. Mad Max was one strike away from a perfect game before the gutless Jose Tabata leaned into a pitch that would not have hit him. It was a massive disappointment, seeing how rare perfect games are. Scherzer bounced back and retired the next guy to get his no-no though.

This was not his last no-hitter of the season though. The next one came on the last Scherzday of 2015. It was a let down of a season and the vibes were low. The Nats surprisingly missed the playoffs and the biggest story about the team at the time was the infamous Jonathan Papelbon choking incident.

I remember following this game on my phone at a party. At that party, I was just standing in the corner on my phone watching Max go to work. He was just mowing down Mets hitters. Scherzer struck out 9 Mets in a row.

Good morning, Nats Central

10 years ago today, Max Scherzer threw his second no hitter in the same year against the New York Mets

He had 17 strikeouts in this game pic.twitter.com/FgV1bL7OLS

— Kev (@klwoodjr) October 3, 2025

The only base runner that night came on a Yunel Escobar error. In an absurdly dominant start, Scherzer got his second no-hitter of the season. He really could have had two perfect games if it weren’t for a couple things outside of his control.

The last great Mad Max moment I want to talk about is the 20 strikeout game. While no-hitters are awesome, the 20 strikeout game is even more rare. Scherzer’s master class against the Tigers is actually the most recent one.

This felt different than the no-hitters because the game was on a knife’s edge. Scherzer gave up a couple of his typical solo home runs. The game was 3-2 in the 9th, and we had a real chance of losing. Scherzer actually got his 20th strikeout with one batter left, so he had time to get the record. However, the last batter got an out in play. Even when he makes history, Scherzer was so good he left you thinking he could have done more.

8 years ago today, Max Scherzer tied the MLB record with 20 strikeouts in a game!

(MLB x @NewYorkLife) pic.twitter.com/edFVrTqhYz

— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024

All of these moments are why I am rooting so hard for Mad Max tonight. You never want to see your heroes fail and get mocked. He is my favorite player. When I pitched, I wanted to be like Mad Max on the mound. He was the man and I idolized him.

The fastball is not what it used to be and he makes more mistakes, but he still has that fire in the belly. Against an intimidating Dodgers lineup, how far can that moxy take him. Hopefully it is good enough to get the job done. Put on that superman cape one more time Mad Max!

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/general/87165/a-love-letter-to-favorite-player-all-time-max-scherzer

 

[Washington Nationals]

An update on Washington Nationals prospects in the Arizona Fall League

It has been a couple weeks since we have caught up on the Arizona Fall League, so I thought it was time to give some updates. The Nationals have actually had a few stand out performers down in Arizona. We have talked about Seaver King, but there are some other players having big impacts.

The first guy I want to talk about is one of my favorite prospects in the organization, Sam Petersen. He was an 8th round pick out of Iowa in 2024. Despite the lesser pedigree, he was the most productive Nat from the 2024 class. He hit .310 with a .905 OPS in 57 games this year. Petersen was sent to the AFL to get more games in because he was injured for a lot of the season.

Petersen has gotten his reps and has been dominant. He is hitting .341 with a 1.083 OPS in 12 AFL games. Petersen is coming off a 4/4 game where he doubled and homered. All this kid has done is hit in his professional career. Right now, MLB Pipeline has him as the 24th ranked Nationals prospect, but I would have him at least 10 spots higher than that.

Halloween homer!

Sam Petersen (WSH No. 24) hits an opposite field home run to give Scottsdale the lead in the third. pic.twitter.com/9o60Z45XRB

— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 31, 2025

If Petersen can stay healthy in 2026, his stock should explode. The Nats have a ton of outfield talent, and Sam Petersen is just the next in that assembly line. He has a very well rounded game with power, speed and contact ability. There is not a whole lot this kid cannot do. I am excited to follow him in 2026.

However, the biggest breakout star of the AFL for the Nats is a more familiar name in Seaver King. The former 10th overall pick had a massively disappointing first full pro season, finishing the year with an OPS of .631. Trey Yesavage, who was picked after him becoming a World Series star, has not helped matters either.

King has done a nice job rebuilding his stock in Arizona though. Like Petersen, King has posted a 1.083 OPS, but he has played 14 games. Seaver King is hitting .377 and leads the league with 24 RBI’s. He is spraying the ball all around the yard and looks like the guy the Nats drafted out of Wake Forest.

Here is that Seaver King Triple from last night… flying. pic.twitter.com/MO7qW60sd8

— Nationals Source (@NationalsSource) October 31, 2025

King still has a lot to prove to come close to justifying his selection. The AFL is a hitter friendly league, but it is still nice to see him mashing. He will need to do it in real Minor League games, but it is nice to see him hitting. Hopefully he can have a bounce back year in 2026.

On the pitching side of things, the star of the show has been Jake Bennett. He was the best pitching prospect the Nats sent, and he has shown why. Do not be fooled by his 5.40 ERA, Bennett has thrown the ball well.

He has struck out 22 batters and has only walked four in Arizona. A lack of strikeout stuff was a question mark for Bennett this year, but he has shown it in Arizona. Bennett has a deep arsenal of pitches that he commands well. His fastball sits at 93-95 MPH and he has a really good changeup to go with it. Bennett can also land a variety of decent breaking balls.

Another name I'm watching at AFL is Nationals starter Jake Bennett. The 6'6" lefty has shown off some serious swing and miss stuff over 2 starts, striking out 13 in 8 innings and generating 11 whiffs of 27 swings.

More at https://t.co/XOZ1TPZhQg pic.twitter.com/WOEGllk0h2

— Prospect Savant (@ProspectSavant) October 16, 2025

The Nats will have to make a decision on whether they want to protect Bennett from the Rule 5 draft. Despite not pitching above AA, he should obviously be protected. He is close to big league ready and would be claimed if he went unprotected. If he stays healthy, I am pretty confident that Bennett will be throwing in the MLB next season.

Another notable name in the AFL is Nats second round pick from 2025 Ethan Petry. He is actually the only 2025 draftee in the league. Petry has held his own, with an OPS around .800. However, a lot of that has come from him taking a ton of walks.

The Nats big guns have had a successful stint in Arizona. That is nice to see after a shaky year on the farm. Improving this farm will be a big priority for Paul Toboni. He has set out to create a scouting and player development monster. That starts in the Minor Leagues.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...on-nationals-prospects-in-arizona-fall-league

 

[Washington Nationals]

A guide to the offseason calendar for Washington Nationals fans

After an insane Game 7 of the World Series, fans’ attention now turns to MLB offseason. With that in mind, I wanted to do a little bit of an offseason primer just to talk about some of the important dates. This tweet actually does a good job listing off some of the dates, but I will walk you through some of them.

MLB Offseason Dates

11/6 Option decision deadline

11/7 Free agents can sign

11/10-13 GM Meetings

11/18 Qualifying Offer deadline

11/18-20 Owners Meetings

11/21 Non-Tender Deadline

12/4 Draft Lottery

12/8-11 Winter Meetings

12/10 Rule 5 Draft

Keep going for 2026

— M00NL1GHT (@MoonlightMLB) November 2, 2025

It is not listed here, but the trade market is actually open now. If Paul Toboni wanted to, he could make a trade right this second. There are some big moves he could consider. On the MLB Trade Rumors trade board, MacKenzie Gore is actually the number one name on the list.

With just two years of control, including one in a season that has the potential to be shortened by a lockout, a Gore trade makes some sense. If Paul Toboni does not think the Nats can compete or re-sign Gore in the next couple of years, trading Gore is a logical move. CJ Abrams is 23rd on the trade board, but that move seems much less likely.

Another important date is November 7th. That is when free agents can officially sign. Unlike other sports, there is not a frenzy of signings on the first day of free agency. These deals tend to drag out over months. Most of these guys sign sometime from early December to early February.

One thing Paul Toboni has to be looking forward to is his first ever GM Meetings as a boss of a franchise. The GM Meetings are in Vegas from November 10th to the 13th. In those meetings, the top executives around the league lay the groundwork for potential trades and discuss rule changes as well.

Later in November, the owners have their meeting in New York from November 18th to the 20th. They will discuss baseball related matters. With the CBA expiring after next season, those meetings will probably be pretty tense. I am sure there are some big disagreements between small and big market owners right now, especially after the Dodgers won their second straight World Series on the back of a massive spending spree.

The next day is actually an important one for Nats fans to follow. November 21st is the non-tender deadline. We actually wrote about how the Nats have a few non-tender candidates, so this is a date to keep an eye on. There could also be a flurry of trade activity around this time. Do not be surprised if we see some Nats moves around November 21st.

The next big date is December 4th. That is the draft lottery. Despite finishing 66-96, the Nats are locked into the 11th pick because they picked inside the top 10 last year and are on the top of the revenue sharing totem pole. We wrote about some of the flaws of that system a few days ago.

After that is the Winter Meetings from December 8th to the 11th. This is when all the owners and executives meet up in one place, this year it is in Orlando. A lot of the biggest moves get made during or around the Winter Meetings. In the dead of winter, this is when we get the fireworks.

On the second to last day of the meetings, we have the Rule 5 draft. If teams don’t add prospects to the 40 man roster after they have been in their system for a set amount of years, they are exposed to the Rule 5 draft.

This can be an opportunity for Paul Toboni to pick up some talent for free. However, you have to keep those players on the MLB roster for the whole year despite the fact they are often not ready for the MLB. Last year, the White Sox found Shane Smith in the Rule 5 Draft and he has been a great pickup for them.

After that, the offseason starts to slow down, but there are still plenty of signings happening after the Winter Meetings. However, there are not a ton of notable events for the rest of the offseason. Pitchers and catchers report on February 10th of 2026. Here is a fun little count down to that date.

Buckle up, because this offseason could be a massive one for the Nats and the league as a whole. Sure, the season is over, but baseball never sleeps. There is always something going on. People will be signing, players will be traded and there will be a lot of important meetings. Get ready for the offseason because there could be some big fireworks.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...-offseason-calendar-washington-nationals-fans

 

[Washington Nationals]

Six years ago the Washington Nationals won the World Series

The Washington Nationals are truly starting over. Today, they hired 33 year old Blake Butera to replace Davey Martinez as the club’s manager. However, things were a lot different six years ago. On this day in 2019, the Nationals reached the top of the baseball mountain. They won their first ever World Series in a thrilling Game 7.

6 years ago today, Nats fans stood in front of their TVs in awe that they actually did it

What a feeling

We will be back pic.twitter.com/ce5w4arGtH

— Kev (@klwoodjr) October 30, 2025

Against all odds, the 2019 Nationals got it done. From 19-31 to a World Series title. October 30th, 2019 was the day that Nationals baseball peaked. It has been rough since, but that one day makes all of this rebuilding easier to stomach.

Heading into that Game 7, the Nationals were underdogs like they had been all season long. The Astros were seen as one of the best teams of the decade. They had 3 Hall of Famers in their rotation and one of the deepest lineups in MLB history. Sure, the Nats had fought valiantly to force a 7th game, but the mighty Astros were surely going to finish the job.

They were at home and had Zack Greinke on the mound. The Nats also had their ace pitching in Max Scherzer. However, he was not 100%. A few days prior, the Nats ace was scratched from his Game 5 start after waking up with extreme neck pain.

Scherzer was healthy enough to pitch in the winner-take-all game. However, his start was bumpy. The Astros put a ton of pressure on him and crowded the bases for all 5 innings of his start. As a crafty veteran, Scherzer was able to get out of most of those jams. He gave up a solo homer to Yuli Gurriel and gave up a run in the 5th inning, but he limited the damage.

The future Hall of Famer did not have his best stuff at all, but he was able to weather the storm against an elite lineup. Performing without your best stuff is the sign of a truly elite pitcher. When pitchers are on their A game, plenty of them can have great starts, but surviving when you don’t have it is what makes elite pitchers elite. Max Scherzer did just that on the biggest stage against a truly elite offense.

Despite Scherzer’s gutsy effort, he was not getting any help from his offense. While Scherzer did not have his A game, Greinke did. He was just carving up the Nats lineup with ease. The command and sequencing Greinke had that night was truly special. As an older player, Greinke did not have big time velocity anymore, but he knew how to pitch.

He was getting so many ground balls that night, especially back to himself. The amount of ground balls to the pitcher that game was just ridiculous. Through six innings, Greinke looked untouchable. He had only allowed one hit and one walk. It was getting demoralizing because it looked like Greinke could do it all night.

As we know now, the dam broke in that 7th inning. The first guy to come through was a player who was so clutch that entire postseason in Anthony Rendon. As he had done so many times, he delivered and hit a solo home run to give the Nationals a jolt of life.

After Greinke walked Juan Soto, AJ Hinch had seen enough. He pulled the trigger and went to his bullpen. It was a quick hook that cost the Astros. While Will Harris had been reliable for them in the playoffs, he was used heavily and beginning to wear down. However, Hinch trusted his guy with a run of right handed hitters coming. The first guy he was tasked with facing was Howie Kendrick.

After an Achilles tear in 2018, Kendrick’s career looked to be in jeopardy. He was in his mid-30’s and coming off a major injury. However, he bounced back and had the best offensive season of his career. He had already come up clutch in the NLDS, launching the series deciding grand slam in game 5.

The grizzled vet came through again, with the most famous doink in Nats history. On an outside cutter, Kendrick launched it the other way and nailed the foul pole for a two run homer. He went nuts as he rounded the bases and celebrated with the joy of a child in the dugout. It was a truly beautiful moment I will never forget.

Howie Kendrick • 10/30/2019
Postseason pic.twitter.com/KpaBcpRQbN

— MLB Dingers (@dailymlbdingers) July 8, 2025

Of course, the Nats were not out of the woods yet. They still had to deal with the mighty Astros lineup and add some insurance runs. The Nats $140 million man Patrick Corbin took care of the lineup. Corbin tossed the three biggest scoreless innings of his life.

Offensively, the Nats exposed a shaky Astros bullpen, scoring one run in the 8th and two runs in the top of the 9th. Now with a four run lead, the finish line was in sight in the bottom of the 9th. The Nats were now ready to turn to their closer Daniel Hudson.

Like so many players on the Nats, Daniel Hudson’s road to this moment was not straight-forward. After a great season as a starter in 2011, Hudson was either hurt or mediocre at best from 2012-2018. However, something changed in 2019. After a strong start to the season with the Blue Jays, the 32 year old Hudson was traded to fix a leaky Nats bullpen.

He did just that and gave the Nats a solid back end of the bullpen alongside Sean Doolittle. Now was Hudson’s chance to close the show. He did just that, carving through the top of the Astros lineup like butter, with a pop up and two strike outs.

After finishing off Michael Brantley with a 3-2 slider, Hudson fired his glove in the air in celebration as the Nats came charging towards him. They had done it, the Washington Nationals had won the World Series. The Nats magic carpet ride of a season ended with the ultimate glory.

That day feels like yesterday, but also a million years ago. So much has changed in the last six years. Nobody from that team remains and the Nats have struggled to find an identity post-2019. Hopefully Paul Toboni and Blake Butera can change that because I miss winning baseball in DC. It was such a fun season and October 30th, 2019 is a day I will never forget as long as I live.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...ars-ago-washington-nationals-won-world-series

 

[Washington Nationals]

Washington Nationals MacKenzie Gore on the top of trade boards

One of the biggest discussions this offseason will be whether the Washington Nationals trade MacKenzie Gore. After not being dealt despite his name being in the rumor mill, MacKenzie Gore’s name is at the center of trade discussions again. MLB Trade Rumors put Gore at number 1 on their list of 40 potential trade candidates.

ICYMI: MLBTR's Top 40 trade candidates list has been published, with a #Nationals star at the top:https://t.co/fDE4vZGoNx pic.twitter.com/x2ctO0KDhf

— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 2, 2025

Here we will discuss why Gore’s name is in the rumor mill and why a trade this offseason feels likely. Despite seeming like a young player, the service clock is ticking for MacKenzie Gore. He only has two years of team control remaining before becoming a free agent. With the Nationals retooling their rebuild and the 2027 season being in doubt due to a potential work stoppage, there is doubt around Gore’s future.

Will the Nats be competitive in 2026 or 2027, or will potential young pieces from a Gore trade be more useful for the team long term? In your heart of hearts, do you think this team will be competing for anything more than a third wild card spot while Gore is under team control because I do not. This conversation is why Gore’s name is in the rumor mill.

When Paul Toboni talked to the media, he put a heavy emphasis on creating a scouting and player development monster. His tone sounded very long term focused, rather than a guy who wanted to win games as quickly as possible. Trading Gore could be a good long term move.

An extension for Gore is unlikely given his agent. If you do not know, MacKenzie Gore is a Scott Boras client. It is very rare for a Boras client to sign an extension before testing free agency. Stephen Strasburg actually overruled Boras to sign a contract in DC when he got his first extension. However, that is rare and the Nats actually had a winning culture back then. There is no reason for Gore to go to Boras and say I want to be in DC. With how the last few years have gone, why should he.

One thing that could complicate things is how much pitching is on the market this offseason. True aces like Tarik Skubal, Freddie Peralta, Hunter Greene and Joe Ryan could be on the market. Gore has not shown the consistency of those guys across a full season, so he would be a third or fourth choice for many teams.

According to @alexspeier here are some of the Starting Pitchers who could be available via trade this offseason:

-Tarik Skubal
-Joe Ryan
-Sandy Alcantara
-Hunter Greene
-MacKenzie Gore
-Sonny Gray

(@RafaelaEnjoyer Hunter Greene) pic.twitter.com/WC8AMoB72p

— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) October 20, 2025

Gore has a tendency to fall off in the second half of seasons. This year, he posted a 3.02 ERA in the first half, which led him to an All-Star berth. However, after a brutal second half, his ERA ballooned to 4.17 for the season. If teams are not confident that Gore can solve these long standing second half issues, they won’t trade a haul for him.

With this in mind, Toboni could hold on to Gore until the trade deadline, or trade him in June. Gore’s value often peaks early in the season, so there could be a chance to sell high. However, if you do that, you run the risk of Gore getting hurt and not getting any value for him.

If you can get a top 100 prospect as well as a couple solid secondary prospects, you have to pull the trigger. Gore was supposed to be the true ace for this team moving forward, but he has not become that and time is ticking before he becomes a free agent. It is no surprise that he is number 1 on this list.

If I were a betting man, I would say that MacKenzie Gore has probably thrown his last pitch as a National. The highs were very high, but we never quite got the consistency we wanted out of Gore. Another team could get that out of him, but the Nats can’t afford to let him march closer and closer to free agency.

For teams that could get him, the Red Sox are a team to watch. They have a deep farm system that Paul Toboni knows very well. He not only knows who the top guys are, but he also knows where the hidden gems lie. The Cubs were a team attached with Gore at the deadline, and could come back in for him.

Sure, it may be demoralizing, but it is time to accept that the Nationals need to reboot their rebuild. Hopefully Gore is the only core piece they have to move. It would be a shame if this team can’t get their act together by the end of the decade. I miss the Nats being a competitive team. While trading Gore appears to be a step away from that, I think it is one of those steps back that is actually two steps forward in the long term if the return is good.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/nat...ton-nationals-mackenzie-gore-top-trade-boards

 

[Washington Nationals]

Blake Butera and the Washington Nationals need to bring in an experienced bench coach

If you missed it, the Washington Nationals hired 33 year old Blake Butera to be their next manager. He will be the youngest manager in over 5o years. This is a bold hire and a move that I like. However, for this to work, the Nationals need to put experience around their young manager.

The Nationals plan to hire Blake Butera, who will be the youngest MLB manager since 1972.

In 2018, Butera was just 25 when he took the helm for the Hudson Valley Renegades: https://t.co/SknzU1W4oV pic.twitter.com/ZgdlSPgz0x

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) October 30, 2025

Bringing youth into the dugout is a smart move from Paul Toboni. Over the last couple years, things had gotten stale under Davey Martinez and his staff. Both Martinez, as well as his hitting and pitching coaches were in their 60’s. You definitely got the vibe that those guys were dinosaurs in the modern game. We are not going to get that vibe with Butera.

However, bringing in a manager this young presents a new set of issues. One of the biggest ones is the fact that these young managers don’t know how to operate in a big league clubhouse. That certainly applies to Butera.

While he has plenty of experience in the Minor Leagues and in the front office, Butera has never worked in a Major League dugout. That will be a new experience for him. Being the boss of big league players is going to be new for the 33 year old, who may be younger than some of the players on the roster.

Butera will have to earn the trust of the clubhouse, especially the veteran players. Luckily, the Nats are a young team, so the players and managers will be able to grow together. However, he will still have to earn their trust.

The one hire Butera has to nail in order to do that is the bench coach. A bench coach is the manager’s right hand man. They sit right next to the manager on the bench and when the manager gets ejected, it is the bench coach that takes over. There is a reason a lot of managerial hires are just sitting bench coaches.

For Butera, he is going to have to bring an experienced guy with him to the position. The Locked on Nationals podcast touched on this and actually brought up a few really good names. They talked about how it should either be a guy who has been a manager before or has been a bench coach for a long time. I agree with that sentiment.

11.3.25 Locked On Nationals is LIVE!

️The unique background of Blake Butera and the expectations surrounding him
️Outside the box thinking from Paul Toboni & Blake Butera
️Change the way teams hire managers?
️Butera needs someone with experience https://t.co/BWGL1bs3hp pic.twitter.com/6ClmFXUXAt

— Locked On Nationals Podcast (@LO_Nationals) November 3, 2025

A couple guys that stick out to me are David Ross and Brandon Hyde. Ross would probably be my favorite. He has seen it all both as a player and as a manager. Ross was a beloved catcher on World Series teams in Boston and Chicago. Only a few years after retiring, Ross jumped into management. He coached the Cubs from 2020-2023.

Ross is also a name with a lot of cache around the league. He is one of those guys who just demands respect. The 48 year old also knows what it is like to be a manager, as well as a player. He would do a great job creating a culture and furthering Butera’s vision.

Brandon Hyde is another guy I would call. The Nats interviewed him for the managerial job, but he did not get it. It does not look like Hyde will get back into management this season. Having worked for the Orioles for many years, he knows what it takes to dig out of a rebuild.

With that managerial experience with a young team, Hyde would be a great resource for Butera. He also knows what it is like to work with an analytics heavy organization, having done it in Baltimore. If Hyde has the itch to work right away, he would be a great hire.

I love that the Nationals have gone young with their hires so far. However, they need to balance things out with experience and some older heads. The Nationals desperately needed young voices with new ideas and they got them. Now it is time to support those guys with some experienced figures.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...-nationals-need-bring-experienced-bench-coach

 

[Washington Nationals]

Paul Toboni assigns roles to new Washington Nationals executives

This afternoon, Paul Toboni held a virtual presser to talk about the Blake Butera hire, as well as other updates. He talked about what went into the Butera hire and why he trusted the person. Butera did not attend due to having his first child on Thursday. However, the biggest updates came in the front office.

Blake Butera is officially the Nats' new manager!

Hear president of baseball operations Paul Toboni discuss the hire. pic.twitter.com/YCMCK8rdDG

— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) November 4, 2025

The Nationals have hired a couple Assistant GM’s in recent weeks. Paul Toboni brought Devin Pearson and Justin Horowitz to DC. He has history with both in Boston. Both of them were also sitting scouting directors in their 30’s, so they are both rising names in the industry. Toboni also kept former interim GM Mike DeBartolo around.

However, we did not know what their formal roles would be before today. We do now though. In the presser, Toboni said that Pearson would oversee player development, Horowitz would be in charge of player acquisition and DeBartolo would help with baseball operations.

New Nats roles from Paul Toboni:

Devin Pearson (AGM) will oversee the Nationals' player development operation.

Justin Horowitz (AGM) will oversee acquisitions (amateur scouting, trades, international scouting).

Mike DeBartolo (SVP and AGM) will help oversee baseball ops.

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) November 4, 2025

It is nice to see these executives’ roles laid out like this. With the Nats having Mike Rizzo run the show for so many years, this process is new for many Nats fans. We are learning as we go along here. This new regime seems like it will be more of a collaborative effort with the assistants playing bigger roles than they did in the past.

Another interesting note from the press conference is on the GM front. Paul Toboni said that the Nats will not be hiring a GM, at least not anytime soon. As more big name AGM hires were made, I began to suspect that there would not be a GM. This is one thing that Paul Toboni will not be changing from the Rizzo era.

Paul Toboni says no GM hire “for the time being.”
New roles: Pearson (PD), Horowitz (Acquisitions), DeBartolo (Ops).
He scouted Blake Butera in college and is “betting on the person.” ️ #NATITUDE

— natsfanatics (@natsfanatics_) November 4, 2025

Without a GM, these AGM’s are going to have a big role and have a lot of prominence. I am curious about the Pearson hire in particular now. The fact he is going to be heading up player development is very interesting. Pearson’s experience has come on the scouting side in Boston. Now he is going to be on a different side of things. Can his ability to spot talent translate into developing talent?

Only time will tell on that one, but I am excited about this new braintrust. For once, the Nationals have young, cutting edge minds in their front office. It is exciting to be part of something new for once. Over the past handful of years, the Nats have been behind the curve and stuck in the past. Now, they are aiming to be a forward thinking organization.

All of Paul Toboni’s hires have been with the goal of being young, fresh and innovative. Pearson, Horowitz and Butera are all in their 30’s and come from the new school. This is something the Nats have needed for a very long time. Now, we will finally get it. I am very excited to see how this new era in DC goes.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...gns-roles-new-washington-nationals-executives

 

[Washington Nationals]

You Aren’t High Enough On Washington Nationals Cade Cavalli

Cade Cavalli’s return to the big leagues has been well documented by now, both by us and by the media. To recap, after making his big league debut in August 2022, Cavalli would be shut down for the year with a shoulder injury, followed by tearing his UCL in Spring Training of 2023, costing him the entire season and the following one. Battling through not only Tommy John surgery recovery but also dead arm and the flu, Cavalli finally made his return to the big league mound in August of 2025, nearly 3 years since his last big league start.

Expectations for Cavalli weren’t exactly through the roof upon his return, as he sported an ERA over 6 in 15 starts at Triple A prior to his call-up. Many fans, including myself, were just hoping to see Cavalli stay healthy, as even if he could not find it as a starter, it seemed he had a future career as a reliever in front of him. But what Cavalli showed in his 10 big league starts in 2025, while not eye-popping on the stat sheet, has me more excited than ever about his potential as a frontline starter.

Cavalli’s ERA over his 10 starts was 4.25, a respectable but not mind blowing number, but it’s the underlying numbers from those starts that give me confidence. It begins with the swing and miss stuff, as Cavalli placed in the 95th percentile in chase rate and 72nd percentile in whiff rate amongst all big league pitchers, an elite combo especially for a starting pitcher. His curveball was his go-to put-away pitch, as he went to it on 2 strikes nearly 25% of the time, resulting in a 31% strikeout rate on it. His changeup was also an elite swing and miss pitch for him, as in the 107 times he threw it, it had a 41.8% whiff rate.

Despite the elite swing and miss numbers, Cavalli only had an 18.3% strikeout rate, ranking in the 18th percentile in baseball. While some, perhaps even most, of this can be attributed to “just baseball”, as 10 starts is only roughly 1/3 of a full season’s work and this number could have stabilized higher over time, there is the possibility that the way the Nats were calling games for Cavalli was limiting his ability to strike hitters out.

With a new staff in town under Blake Butera, I am excited to see if they shake up how and when Cavalli uses his arsenal, perhaps tunneling his pitches a little better, leading to better strikeout numbers, as the stuff is clearly there for more.

Another elite trait of Cavalli’s is his ability to keep the ball on the ground, which helps to mitigate some of the hard contact issues he has faced. Cavalli had a 55.1% ground ball rate in 2025, good for the 93rd percentile in baseball. While his hard hit rate was below average, ranking in the 38th percentile, his barrel rate was elite, coming in at the 95th percentile.

How could this be? The reason is that while both metrics look at how hard the ball is hit, barrel rate also accounts for the launch angle of the hit. Cavalli gave up quite a bit of loud contact in his 10 starts, but thanks to a sinker that sits 97 MPH with above-average vertical drop, he was able to keep the majority of it where his fielders could go make a play.

Despite Cavalli’s strong ground ball rate, his home run rate was well above league average, averaging 1.29 home runs allowed per 9 innings. While his tendency to allow hard contact played a factor in this, the majority of this can be attributed to bad luck and a small sample size, as his home run to fly ball ratio of 17.5% was well above the average of 10.5% and was in the top 30 highest among all pitchers with over 40 innings pitched. Home run rate is one of the least sticky pitching stats year to year, and with a ground ball rate as low and an arsenal as strong as Cavalli’s, I expect this number to regress heavily in 2026, leading to improved results overall.

So what’s next for Cavalli? While the answer isn’t “nothing”, truly most of the pieces for success are already in place for Cavalli; he just needs to go out and repeat them next season. The development of another strong pitch (such as a splitter, which everyone in baseball will be attempting to do after watching Yoshinobu Yamamoto this postseason) could help keep hitters off Cavalli’s best pitches and mitigate some of his right-handed hitter woes, who hit .381 against Cavalli as compared to lefties who hit .221.

I would also like to see an overall tuning to his pitch usage, as there is no need for him to throw his fastball more than his sinker, curveball, and changeup, which are all strong pitches. Having been one of the founding fathers of the Cade Cavalli fan club, I am extremely excited to see the strides he makes next season, and believe he could be a frontline starter for the Nats for years.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/general/87197/you-arent-high-enough-cade-cavalli

 

[Washington Nationals]

Washington Nationals release 2026 Spring Training schedule

The new era of Nationals baseball is right around the corner. Today the Washington Nationals released their 2026 Spring Training schedule. There is always an element of hope and newness to Spring Training, but this year will have even more of that with the new regime.

a nice sp ring to it

https://t.co/eoL6DKuniW pic.twitter.com/CQsCkp62dv

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) November 5, 2025

The Nats open up their spring on February 21st with a home game against the Astros in West Palm Beach. Get your tickets now and have your swim suits ready because that will be coming around in no time.

One of the most interesting matchups for me actually comes on March 4th, when the Nats have a scrimmage against Team Venezuela. This is a World Baseball Classic year, so we are going to get to see some teams come down and scrimmage. Venezuela should have a stacked roster with players like Ronald Acuna Jr., Jose Altuve and Salvador Perez.

Seeing all of those guys take the field against the Nats should be a ton of fun. Another great recent addition to Spring Training is the Spring Breakout Game. That is an event where the team’s top prospects play against each other. You get to see highly touted players that don’t normally play in the regular games. They are playing against the Mets prospects this year on March 21st.

Highlights of Nats' 2026 spring training schedule:
* 2/21 openers vs HOU/at STL
* 2/23 home vs PHI
* 2/25-2/26 road trip at NYY/PHI
* 3/4 exhibition vs. Venezuela
* 3/7 home vs NYY
* 3/21 Spring Breakout prospect game at STL
* 3/22 vs O's in Baltimore
* 3/23 vs O's in D.C.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) November 5, 2025

It is right at the end of Spring Training. After that, the Nats actually have two exhibitions against the Orioles on the 22nd and 23rd. The first one is in Baltimore, before playing in DC the next day.

With these schedules coming out, we are one step closer to baseball season. There will be so many fresh new faces in camp this year and I am excited to see them. We will see what a Paul Toboni roster looks like for the first time and we will see a Blake Butera managed club for the first time. Buckle up and get ready for the ride!

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/lat...tionals-release-2026-spring-training-schedule

 

[Washington Nationals]

Breaking down Paul Toboni’s latest press conference

Yesterday, Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni took some questions from local media about his hiring of Blake Butera. This was the first time he shed light on the process and what is next. A lot of interesting stuff came out of the presser, so I wanted to talk about it.

Blake Butera is officially the Nats' new manager!

Hear president of baseball operations Paul Toboni discuss the hire. pic.twitter.com/YCMCK8rdDG

— Nationals on MASN (@masnNationals) November 4, 2025

It has been close to a week since the Nats made Blake Butera the youngest manager in over 50 years. This is the first time we got to hear about the process though. We did not get to hear from Butera himself, but that is for good reason. On the same day as his hire was reported, his wife was giving birth to their first child. Talk about a wild day!

With that in mind, we are not going to hear from Butera for a little longer. One fun nugget Toboni talked about in the presser was that Butera was in the hospital with his wife when Jeff Passan broke the news that he would be hired by the Nats. The baby came only hours later. This must be a wild time for Butera and I can’t wait to hear from him.

The thing that Toboni kept touching on in his presser was how aligned he and Butera are. In his initial presser with the Nats, Toboni talked a lot about trusting people. Butera is a person that Toboni trusts. Toboni said that he is making a bet on Blake Butera the person.

However, Paul Toboni did not just hire a manager because he thought he was a good guy. Despite having no experience in an MLB dugout, Toboni was adamant that Butera was the best man for the job. While he does not have experience in an MLB dugout, Butera still has plenty of experience. Toboni touched on all of the things Butera has already done.

Between being a successful Minor League manager and having experience in the front office, Butera knows a lot about the operation. Despite being so young, Butera will not be a pushover. Toboni mentioned that he was looking for a manager who could hold the players and staff accountable. That piece about the staff is important to me because that did not seem like it was happening in previous seasons.

While Toboni was non-committal on a coaching staff, he did hint at bringing in some experience. He said that Blake is humble enough to know he needs people with expertise around him. Like he said before hiring Butera, MLB experience is a feather in the cap but not a requirement.

As we wrote about earlier in the week, I do think Butera needs to bring in an older head as a bench coach. With Butera being young and not having MLB experience, he needs someone around him to lean on that knows what it is like.

For the hitting and pitching coach positions, I would be happy if they continued to go in this younger, outside the box direction. Right now, it really seems like there is a vision and alignment in the Nats organization. That is something Toboni values and it looks like he has that.

I am excited for this new era of Nats baseball. There is a lot we still do not know, but one thing we do know is that it will look a lot different than it used to. The process will be different, the voices will be a lot younger and some ideas will be different. This was needed and hopefully it works out.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/general/87213/breaking-down-paul-toboni-press-conference

 

[Washington Nationals]

Washington Nationals make a flurry of moves to the 40-man roster

Paul Toboni made a bunch of moves to the 40-man roster this afternoon. None of them were huge moves individually, but together the moves created a lot of space on the 40-man roster. With the offseason here, Paul Toboni will look to optimize that 40-man roster as much as possible.

Earlier this afternoon, it was announced that two players were DFA’d from the 40-man. Those guys were Ryan Loutos and Trey Lipscomb. Loutos actually got claimed by the Mariners, while Lipscomb was unclaimed and sent to Triple-A. While Loutos was ineffective with the Nats, he has a deep pitch mix and throws pretty hard.

Nationals transactions:
* Trey Lipscomb cleared waivers, outrighted to AAA Rochester
* Ryan Loutos claimed off waivers by Mariners
* Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Drew Millas, Trevor Williams activated off 60-day IL

That leaves 35 players on the 40-man roster.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) November 6, 2025

Lipscomb was a former third round pick, who showed promise in the Minors in 2023. He was the talk of Spring Training in 2024 and was competing for Luis Garcia Jr’s starting second base job. However, he has not shown much life with the bat in the big leagues.

There were also procedural moves to activate a few players from the 60-day IL. If Trevor Williams or DJ Herz still are not close to recovery from their surgeries, they can always go back on the 60-day IL.

Then a bit later, it was announced that reliever Zach Brzykcy was DFA’d and claimed by the Marlins. Even though he got lit up in the MLB, this one stung a little bit. He showed so much promise as a prospect before undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Brzykcy has not been quite the same since coming back. He still has some good stuff that the Marlins seem to like.

(Cont.)

-The Miami Marlins claimed Zach Brzykcy off of outright waivers.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) November 6, 2025

As teams enter the offseason, they often churn through a lot of guys on the back end of their 40-man roster. Teams need space to add new free agents or prospects they want to protect from the Rule 5 draft. The Nats will likely add Jake Bennett to their 40-man roster at some point to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Right now, the Nationals 40-man is at just 34 players. This allows Paul Toboni to be very flexible. He can add some guys on waivers he likes, or keep the spots open for more flexibility heading into free agency. Looking at the 40-man, there is still some fat to trim if Toboni wanted more space.

With the Brzykcy DFA, the #Nats 40-man roster is now at 34 players:

– 20 pitchers
– 3 catchers
– 6 infielders
– 5 outfielders https://t.co/ZCuQMicbs3

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) November 6, 2025

Paul Toboni will have a good chance to remake this roster in his image from top to bottom, and do that quickly. Whether that is small moves like waiver claims, or a big move like a MacKenzie Gore trade, Toboni has a chance to bring in his own guys.

Of course, executives need to be humble enough to know that some of the old regime’s guys are worth keeping around, but Toboni should want to build this thing in his image. Right now he is doing that with the back end of this roster. A few days ago he DFA’d Mason Thompson, Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Eduardo Salazar. Now he has made these moves. We should see a lot of fresh faces in DC as we head into 2026.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...ton-nationals-make-flurry-moves-40-man-roster

 

[Washington Nationals]

Former Washington National Craig Stammen hired as San Diego Padres manager

For a second time this offseason, a former Washington National has become a manager. This time it is former reliever Craig Stammen, who got hired as the manager of the San Diego Padres. Stammen had a 13 year career, which was split almost evenly between DC and San Diego. Now he will be managing the team he left the Nats for.

The San Diego Padres have hired Craig Stammen as manager, as @sdutKevinAcee reports. Stammen, 41, was a longtime reliever for the Padres and Nationals and had been a special assistant to San Diego GM A.J. Preller. In a season of shocking managerial hires, this one tops the list.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 6, 2025

Stammen started his career as a starting pitcher, but became one of those lovable rubber armed middle relievers. He was never the closer, and usually was not even the set up man, but Stammen was a valuable weapon out of the bullpen. In DC, Stammen was the bride to the late inning guys, usually Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen.

With Kurt Suzuki taking the Angels job, the Nationals have a full battery that are now running their own teams. I remember the days of Suzuki catching Stammen in DC. It is crazy to think that both of those guys are managers now.

Your current managers of the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres … pic.twitter.com/SAqGoLfbXi

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) November 6, 2025

The hiring of Stammen came out of left field. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla were seen as the top candidates. The Padres even had a 9.5 hour meeting with Pujols. I don’t see any reason a meeting should go that long, but it happened.

However, as he often does, AJ Preller made an unexpected move. Stammen was a special assistant to Preller and played with the Padres for six years, so he clearly knows the organization well. He does not have any coaching experience though.

Hiring inexperienced or outside the box candidates has been a theme of this year’s managerial hiring cycle. The Nats went with Blake Butera, who is 33 and has never coached in the MLB. The Giants hired Tony Vitello straight from college without any pro coaching experience, something that has never been done before. Also, the Angels hired Kurt Suzuki, who did not have any coaching experience.

There is clearly a shift towards younger, more relatable managers. Hiring a manager who was just fired by another team does not seem to be in style right now, unless you are the Twins.

With Stammen becoming a manager, there are a lot of former Nats running big league dugouts. Obviously Stammen and Suzuki are now managers, but Aaron Boone and Alex Cora also had stints with the Nats. Now over 10% of all MLB managers have played for the Washington Nationals.

Woah!!!

Two former Nats become first-time managers this offseason – Kurt Suzuki and now Craig Stammen.

Add in Aaron Boone and Alex Cora, and now more than 10% of the MLB managerial roles are held by former Nationals players. https://t.co/EVY7kTnXsT

— Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) November 6, 2025

It is cool to see the franchise become old enough to have numerous former players managing around the league. I am sure that Stammen and Suzuki will get warm welcomes when they come to DC next season. Both were well-liked players who always delivered when called upon. They were not the stars, but both were great glue guys.

It is often those glue guy types who become the best managers. A lot of times the former star player does not deliver when they become a manager or executive for whatever reason.

It is really fun to see these guys become managers and continue their baseball journeys. Stammen will inherit a good situation in San Diego, with plenty of star players at his disposal, many of whom he played with. It would be cool to see Stammen lead the Padres on a playoff run and dethrone the Dodgers in 2026.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...-craig-stammen-hired-san-diego-padres-manager

 

[Washington Nationals]

Where Does Christian Franklin Fit Into The Picture Of The 2026 Washington Nationals?

The Nationals have a glut of outfielders currently in the major leagues, including James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Daylen Lile, as well as others who will be arriving soon, such as Christian Franklin and Andrew Pinckney. James Wood is locked into left field for the Nats, as he is the club’s brightest young star and a serviceable defender out in left as well. Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile are locked into the other two spots as well, as both will be critical parts of the Nationals’ future. Jacob Young and Robert Hassell will surely play a part in the outfield picture for the Nats in 2026 as well, though both have their limitations.

One young outfielder whose future at the big league level is unclear is Christian Franklin, the 25-year-old outfielder acquired from the Cubs for Mike Soroka at the trade deadline. A 4th round pick out of Arkansas, where he posted a 132 wRC+ in his junior season, Franklin’s path to the bigs was set back at the start of his career when he tore his patella tendon in his knee in 2022, causing him to miss the entire season. Since then, however, all he has done is hit, and it has him knocking on the doors of the major leagues.

In 117 games at Triple-A last season, 86 with the Cubs and 31 with the Nats, Franklin posted a 118 wRC+, hit 12 home runs, and posted a .390 on-base percentage. He also stole 19 bases in 2025, getting caught 9 times but at least showing a willingness to be aggressive with his speed. The most exciting part of Franklin’s game, in my opinion, is the power potential he still has to tap into, as although he had a .427 slugging percentage in 2025, there is room for so much more.

When it comes to consistent hard contact, there weren’t many better than Franklin at the Triple-A level in 2025. His average exit velocity of 91 MPH ranked in the 84th percentile, his 50th percentile exit velocity (which cuts out weak contact, such as dribblers and pop-ups, to help us better understand a player’s power potential) of 94.3 MPH was in the 90th percentile, and his max exit velocity of 112.9 MPH ranked in the 92nd percentile.

The reason this elite batted ball profile hasn’t turned into game power quite yet is that Franklin hits too many ground balls, about 45% of the time, and he’s not pulling enough of the fly balls he does hit, just 11.8% of the time. The good news is Franklin has already made big strides in cutting down his ground ball rate with the Nats, dropping it about 5% as compared to his Cubs tenure.

Frankin also displays some impressive plate discipline for a player with as strong a batted ball profile as his. His walk rate of 15% ranked in the 84th percentile among Triple-A hitters, and it’s due to his strong bat-to-ball skills, ranking in the 61st percentile in whiff rate, and elite eye, ranking in the 92nd percentile in chase rate. Hitters that can spit on chase pitches and do damage on balls in the zone are dangerous, especially when they possess the power potential that Franklin does. One of the few holes you could poke in Franklin’s game is that he perhaps does not swing enough, ranking in the 53rd percentile in in-zone swing percentage. Trading some swing and miss for more explosive contact could be beneficial for Franklin’s game in the long run.

Defensively, Franklin could play a solid center field, but he likely is better suited for a corner outfield spot. He spent the majority of his time in Rochester alternating between left and right field, boosting his versatility for when he does get his shot in the bigs. While left field is locked down by James Wood for the time being, being able to step in for him on his days off or when he needs to DH helps create more flexibility in roster management for Blake Butera, and boosts Franklin’s odds of making the team and staying on it.

So, where does Franklin fit into the outfield picture for the Nats in 2026? The answer all depends on how the new Nationals front office and coaching staff value Jacob Young and Robert Hassell III, as well as their evaluation of Franklin himself. To me, it would be asinine to run Jacob Young back out again as the starting center fielder until his bat makes serious strides, although I love the value he could bring as a 4th outfielder to the club. Hassell had short bursts of greatness in his rookie campaign, but overall, he did not show enough for me to want him to start the 2026 season in the big leagues.

That leaves us with Franklin, who will be 26 when the 2026 campaign begins, and has shown about all there is to see in the minor leagues. If it were up to me, Franklin would break camp as a part of the big league roster, as I believe his strengths will translate just fine to the big league level, and his weaknesses are issues that a major league coaching staff can iron out.

Franklin’s defensive versatility allows him to play consistently, as the other 3 outfielders, Wood, Crews, and Lile, take off days or rotate in and out at DH. Sprint Training will be critical for Franklin to show the new Nationals coaching staff that he has the ability to make an impact at the big league level in 2026.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...fit-into-picture-of-2026-washington-nationals

 

[Washington Nationals]

An introduction to the 2026 MLB draft for Washington Nationals fans

With the offseason fully underway, I wanted to introduce Nats nation to the 2026 MLB draft. Due to the lottery rules, we already know the Nationals will be picking 11th this year. With new POBO Paul Toboni’s background, the draft will be a massive emphasis for the Nats. Here are some players they should be doing some digging on already.

In my opinion, the Nationals should go for a college prospect in this draft. It is a very good group of college players and the Nats went very high school heavy in the 2025 class. They need some players that can move through the system quickly and become impact big leaguers. We have seen guys like Nick Kurtz and Trey Yesavage become stars just a year after being drafted.

With that in mind, I came up with four college players who are interesting talents and could realistically be available with the 11th pick. For example, Roch Cholowsky is my favorite player in the draft, but there is next to no chance he will be there for the Nats to select. I came up with two pitchers and two hitters the Nats could look at.

No Fluke:

The first player I want to talk about is Cameron Flukey, a pitcher from Coastal Carolina. Baseball America has Flukey as the 10th ranked prospect in the draft. He had an outstanding season for Coastal, leading them to the College World Series final, where they came up short against LSU.

He is a big right handed pitcher with a 6’6 210 pound frame. While he is a bit slim, he still averaged 95 MPH on his fastball and can run it up to 98. That heater is Flukey’s bread and butter. In addition to the velocity, it has great life at the top of the zone. He also pounds the zone with that heater, walking less than 6% of hitters.

Cameron Flukey, 97mph ️ (home plate view). pic.twitter.com/P0kaEALC6g

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 22, 2025

Flukey throws a curveball, a slider and a changeup. All of them are quality pitches, but none are wipeout pitches. Flukey is a well rounded guy with a great heater, solid secondaries and very good command. He should be a guy that is picked around the range the Nats are picking.

Flukey should be able to move through a system very quickly due to his strike throwing and his deep arsenal. This is an impressive arm with not a lot of flaws. He is a slam dunk first rounder, and if he has another elite season, he could even be a top 10 pick.

The Hometown Hero:

The first hitter I want to talk about is Chris Hacopian. He is a very attractive prospect for the Nats as a pure hitter. Hacopian is one of the best pure hitters in the class and has an impressive blend of contact, power and plate discipline.

Meet Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M.

Through 11 games in the Cape Cod Baseball League, he’s up to 43 plate appearances and is yet to strike out once.

The next most in the CCBL is 14 plate appearances without a strikeout.

Hacopian is a PROBLEM! @YD_RedSox @AggieBaseball pic.twitter.com/xW50oQugnC

— Danny Podolsky (@PodolskyDanny) June 28, 2025

To put a cherry on top, Hacopian is a local boy. He is from Gaithersburg and attended Winston Churchill High School before transferring to a more baseball centric high school. Hacopian also played his first two seasons at the University of Maryland.

At Maryland, he hit .347 with 29 homers in two seasons. My favorite Hacopian stat is that he had 70 walks to just 45 strikeouts in two seasons at College Park. Hacopian left Maryland though, transferring to Texas A&M to challenge himself in the SEC.

While his hitting set up is a bit unorthodox, you cannot argue with the results. He is always on time for the fastball and has an innate ability to pull flyballs. Everyone is chasing those pulled flyballs, but often doing that comes at a cost. However, Hacopian can just do that naturally.

Defensively, Hacopian is a shortstop right now, but most scouts do not expect him to stick there. A move to third base seems likely, but his bat is more than good enough to handle that move. If the Nats want a pure hitter and hometown hero, Hacopian is their man.

Another UCSB Arm:

Last draft, Tyler Bremner of UC Santa Barbara was the second overall pick to the Angels. While it was a surprise he went at 2, Bremner was no doubt a top 15 guy. His power fastball and disappearing changeup were an elite combo. This season the Gauchos have another first round arm in Jackson Flora.

Like Bremner, Flora has a power fastball in the mid to upper 90’s. Flora can even touch triple digits. It also has good life and explodes out of his hand. However, Flora’s go to secondary pitch is a dynamic sweeping slider. It has crazy movement and is a huge whiff generator.

jackson flora is one of my personal favorite prospects in the 2026 draft

upper 90s 4SFB with ~18” of carry, devastating sweeper which garnered north of 20” gloveside at times, and a developing changeup with great shape at 8”v 18”h

should be in a tier of his own among college SP pic.twitter.com/zph3GS0LVb

— pat (@bledaytruther) October 1, 2025

He combines that with solid command despite a delivery that has some effort. The key for Flora is to deepen his mix. Last year, he was almost exclusively a fastball-slider guy. However, there are reports that he has added a kick changeup and is playing around with his breaking ball shapes.

With his huge arm talent and feel to spin, he could take off with a deeper mix. I am a bit worried he could pitch his way out of the Nats range despite being the 17th ranked prospect right now. He has insane tools and has the ceiling to be a top 5 guy like his teammate Bremner.

Small but Mighty:

The last player I want to talk about is Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress. While the Nats have a ton of outfielders, Burress is a very intriguing prospect. At 5’9 180 pounds, Burress has nutty power for that size. He already has 44 homers in his college career.

Burress can drive the ball to all fields. Like Hacopian, he has an unorthodox set up, but he finds a way to make a ton of contact. I love a lot about his game, but that size will create some question marks.

Drew Burress can demolish a baseball. Hit .333 with 23 doubles, 19 homers and 62 RBI last season. He is as electric as it gets in college baseball

This @GTBaseball lineup is stacked heading into 2026pic.twitter.com/FsADCa1xbC

— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) October 2, 2025

Defensively, he has a chance to stick in center field, but it is not a lock. That puts plenty of pressure on his bat. His wood bat track record is not amazing, but he has just been so productive in the ACC. He is probably not my first choice of this group, but he is another good option to look at.

Wrapping up:

The 2026 draft is supposed to be a very strong and deep group. That gives Paul Toboni a chance to really make a strong first impression in his first draft. The Nats have obviously struggled in the draft for a long time now, but Toboni will look to change that.

This draft has a lot of talent on the high school and college side. However, I have a pretty strong preference for a college guy right now. They are easier to develop and move quicker through the Minor Leagues.

Flukey, Hacopian, Flora and Burress are my favorite realistic options right now. However, there is so much time until the draft. A ton can change between now and the draft in July. We will be following it closely just like we did for the 2025 draft.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/mlb...n-to-2026-mlb-draft-washington-nationals-fans

 

[Washington Nationals]

What should Brad Lord’s role be for the Washington Nationals in 2026?

In a season where the Nationals pitching staff was pretty brutal, Brad Lord was a bright spot. The former Home Depot employee stepped up for the Nationals in a variety of roles. However, as we enter 2026, Lord’s role is still up for debate. As a starter Lord was reliable, but he showed flashes of dominance out of the bullpen.

Lord’s role really depends on what goes on around him. There is so much uncertainty in the Nationals rotation. Cade Cavalli is the only guy I am confident will be in the Nats rotation on Opening Day. Of course, MacKenzie Gore would if he is still around, but that is a big question right now. With free agency and trades on the horizon, a lot can change in the Nats rotation picture.

If it were up to me, Lord would start the season in the bullpen and be an insurance policy in the rotation. He was at his best in a bullpen role this season. In his 29 relief appearances, Lord posted a 2.79 ERA compared to a 4.99 mark as a starter. His stuff just looked sharper in shorter bursts.

Since May 22, Brad Lord ranks (min. 20.0 IP) among MLB pitchers in:

ERA – 1st (0.76)
opp. AVG – 1st (.155)
opp. SLG – 3rd (.214) pic.twitter.com/NAyeKWBPDP

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) June 28, 2025

To me, a lot of that comes down to his arsenal. Lord is a very fastball reliant pitcher right now. He either threw a 4-seamer or a sinker 66.5% of the time. That is extremely high for a starter. Even though his fastball has great life, it can be overexposed as hitters see it more often. He also lost some steam on that fastball in September as the innings began to pile up.

He certainly showed he can be a starter. Lord had a lot of great moments in the rotation. He had a few blow up starts down the stretch, but he showed a lot of good things. There were moments where he dominated lineups when he could bring his slider into play. An example of that is when he struck out the side against the Cubs.

Brad Lord, K'ing the Side in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/jBc4ybYmvb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 6, 2025

Finding a consistent secondary pitch has to be Lord’s goal this offseason. The fastball gives him a strong foundation, but there is not much else right now. His slider and changeup are nothing to write home about. However, he has shown an ability to get better over the years. Now that he can focus fully on being an MLB pitcher, instead of working at Home Depot part time, he could show even more improvement.

If Lord can find a real secondary pitch, he would be a good starter. I think a sweeper shape could be interesting for him with his lower arm slot. His changeup also showed flashes, but the consistency was not there. Whatever it is, Lord needs to find a go to secondary pitch to be a good starter.

However, I think he has a home in the bullpen even if he does not find that secondary pitch. His fastball and low arm slot gives hitters a unique look. Not many guys can throw 95-96 with an arm angle that is so low. It is a real weapon for him and gives him a spot in the big leagues.

I will always be rooting for Brad Lord. He was one of my favorite stories of 2025. Seeing the Home Depot employee strike out Shohei Ohtani for his first career strikeout was unreal. It was a true David vs Goliath matchup and David won.

Brad Lord's 2Ks in the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/n8uxe6C8OF

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 8, 2025

Ideally, Lord starts the season as a Swiss Army Knife reliever. That is what I thought he did best in 2025. He can give you multiple innings if you need it, or he could pitch in higher leverage spots. Teams need versatile arms that can fill a lot of roles. Lord is someone who can do that.

I hope the Nats find a 5 man rotation that does not have Lord to start the year. He can help bolster the bullpen and when injuries hit, Lord can slide seamlessly into the rotation. I am very curious to see how Paul Toboni sees Lord and how he manages pitchers’ innings this season.

It would not surprise me if the Nats used openers more this year. The team is going to embrace analytics more next season and I think that could be one of the ways they do it. I am excited to see all of the creative ways Brad Lord is used in 2026.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...-brad-lords-role-be-washington-nationals-2026