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[Washington Nationals]

The Washington Nationals have some interesting arbitration decisions

Every year the MLB Trade Rumors site releases projections for how much players will make in arbitration. They created a model that is quite accurate and it gives fans a good idea of what these guys will make and who could be non-tendered. Those projections came out yesterday and I want to go over them.

First, I just want to explain the arbitration system a bit. It is a complicated system, but I will try to make it as simple as possible. When a player enters the MLB, they spend the first three years of their career on a rookie scale contract, which is around $750,000. After those three years, the player will go to arbitration for another three years before they hit free agency. However, there are other complicating factors we will get into.

A very clean example of this is MacKenzie Gore. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, Gore was on the minimum salary. 2025 was Gore’s first year of arbitration. The first year of arbitration tends not to be very expensive before it rises each year. The player and the team have to come to an agreement on salary. For Gore, the two parties settled on $2,890,000. With Gore a year closer to free agency, he is projected to make $4.7 million this offseason.

If the player and team cannot reach an agreement, the two parties go to an arbitration court. The two parties have numbers and basically argue with each other in front of an independent arbiter. These can get messy sometimes because it is the team basically explaining why the player deserves less money.

Other complicating factors are the super 2 rule and service time manipulation. If a player is in between two and three years of service time when they first hit arbitration, they become arbitration eligible for four instead of three years. Teams sometimes strategically call players up at a certain date to gain that extra year of control. Overall, it is a messy and complicated process.

That brings us to the Nats. They have nine arbitration eligible players this offseason. First, they have to decide if they want to tender these players contracts. If they do, the player and team come with certain numbers and try to find a compromise. If they cannot do that, they go to the arbitration court which we discussed.

Here are the @mlbtraderumors estimates for the Nats’ upcoming arbitration eligible players.

The most notable figures are the larger ones (Gore, Abrams, García) though the Nats have very little on the books as is.https://t.co/FdvVyzNn2Z pic.twitter.com/62ENelap3q

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) October 6, 2025

The Nationals actually have a few non-tender candidates this offseason. Given their performances, Riley Adams and Jorge Alfaro will probably be on the chopping block despite their cheap prices. Drew Millas is still on his rookie deal, Keibert Ruiz is under contract and the Nats will probably sign a catcher in free agency. That leaves no room for those two.

Then there are the more interesting names. The one that is the most interesting debate is Luis Garcia Jr., the Nats long time second baseman. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Garcia will make $7 million in arbitration. That will be an interesting decision for Paul Toboni.

In 2025, Garcia was not worth that price tag. His 0.7 fWAR in 139 games is very underwhelming. Garcia regressed on both sides of the ball and that could put him on the chopping block.

However, it is not totally straightforward either. In 2024, Garcia posted 3 fWAR, which is well worth the $7 million price tag. When you look at his underlying offensive numbers, there is still a lot to like. Garcia was one of the unluckier hitters in all of baseball. His .348 xwOBA is actually a career high and better than what he produced in his breakout 2024 season.

A good offensive second baseman is worth more than that $7 million price tag. However, Garcia has been very inconsistent in his career. At just 25 years old, time is also on his side. This is one of the more interesting decisions the Nats make this offseason.

Until I saw these projections, Jake Irvin was not on my radar as a non-tender candidate. However, his $3.3 million projected price tag is high for what he provided last year. His 5.70 ERA was the highest of any qualified starter this season. Irvin lost over a tick of velocity and it really drained his effectiveness. While he threw 180 innings, which has value, those innings were ugly.

If Irvin is not in Paul Toboni’s plans, a non-tender is on the table. Irvin will be 29 years old entering next season, so there isn’t too much room for improvement. Sure, he can eat innings, but they are not good innings. Since the All-Star break of 2024, it has been really ugly for Irvin. I am surprised that he is a non-tender candidate, but given the price tag, it is possible.

Mason Thompson is another player who could be on the chopping block. He just did not look like an MLB caliber arm this year after coming back from Tommy John Surgery. Right now, he is just clogging up a 40 man roster spot. MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, Cade Cavalli and Josiah Gray should all be tendered contracts. Gray is a major question mark, but his projected number is very cheap.

Arbitration season is a very interesting and complicated time on the baseball calendar. Paul Toboni has some big decisions on his hands with guys that could be non-tendered. The non-tender deadline is not until November 22nd, so he has some time to make decisions. It is something Nationals fans need to keep their eyes on.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/mlb...ionals-have-interesting-arbitration-decisions

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: Brady House flourished in the minors but faced growing pains in the MLB

Brady House’s 2025 season was really two seasons in one. There is the Minor League portion of his season, where House re-established himself as a top 100 prospect and dominated Triple-A. Then there is the MLB portion of the season, where House mostly looked overmatched at the plate. This makes his season tough to grade, but that is exactly what we will try to do here.

Let’s start with the Minor League portion of the season because it is important to remember how good it was. House was coming off a rough introduction to AAA, where he posted a .655 OPS and struggled to get on base. This worrisome run caused many outlets to drop House out of their top 100 lists.

However, House rebounded in a big way to start this season. He put up big numbers in Rochester, hitting .304 and hammering 13 homers in 65 games. House also had an impressive .872 OPS. His 7.1% walk rate was not anything special, but it was much better than the 3% BB rate he posted last year in Rochester.

It was also very nice to see House showcase his power in the Minors. He has always had big time raw power, but it did not always show up consistently in games. In Rochester, he was tapping into that power. He hit some mammoth shots, including this 458 foot tank.

BRADY HOUSE

458 FEET. 112.4 MPH EV

OMG OMG OMG pic.twitter.com/0fi5ztrpfB

— Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) May 26, 2025

As the Nats season began to fall apart in June, fans were clamoring for House. He did not have much more to prove in the Minors and the Nats had a big hole at third base. Eventually, in the middle of the team’s 11 game losing streak, House got the call.

He got called up only a day or two after Davey Martinez’s rant, so the move very much felt like damage control. Rizzo and Martinez knew they needed to do something to calm down the fanbase, and they threw the fans a bone by calling up House. That is not to say he did not deserve it, but the whole thing felt very panicked.

Maybe their original instinct to keep House in the minors was the right one, because his run in the MLB was tough. Honestly, it was very similar to his introduction to AAA last year, only worse. Everything we worried about with House’s lack of plate discipline came to light.

House walked at an absurdly low 2.9% clip while striking out 28.5% of the time. That is actually very comparable to the rates he posted in Rochester in 2024, where he walked 3% of the time and struck out 28.8% of his AB’s. Looking at that gives me hope that House can turn it around, which is needed because it was not easy to watch him hit.

In 73 games, House hit .234 with a .574 OPS. His on base percentage was shockingly low at just .252. However, the lack of walks was not unexpected if you had followed House’s career. It has just never been his game.

What did surprise me was his total lack of power. House only hit four homers in 261 at bats. Only 15 of his 61 hits went for extra bases. We wrote about how House needs to tap into his power if he is to have a chance as a hitter. When you don’t walk much and also strike out quite a bit, you need homers. House ran into a few hanging breaking balls, but that was it.

BRADY HOUSE ABSOLUTELY CRUSHES HIS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN!!! pic.twitter.com/RNuhyXN5ua

— optimistic nats fan (@optimistic5518) July 12, 2025

In fact, all four of his homers came on breaking balls. House did not do much damage on fastballs this season and struggled with high velocity. This will be something he needs to work on this offseason. Simply put, the offensive game has a long way to go before it is even passable. Luckily, he is only 22 and has shown offensive talent in the Minors.

Things were much more positive on the defensive side of the ball. House looks like a real natural at the hot corner. On a bad infield defense, House really stood out as a quality defender. He can make all the plays, has good range and a big arm.

At 90.6 MPH, this was Brady House's strongest throw of the season. His previous high was 85.6 MPH (2x). pic.twitter.com/fwFl2IlKmA

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) July 22, 2025

The numbers back up the eye test too. House posted 2 outs above average at third base. The defense was really his saving grace and will give him a chance to work on his bat. If House can tap into his power and refine his approach just a little bit, there is a valuable player here.

House’s Minor League numbers this year led many to believe he was MLB ready with the bat. However, he got exposed and taught a lesson. The good thing about House is that he can take those lessons and learn from them. He did that last year after his rough stint in AAA.

House will have to do that again this offseason. He should be the guy at third base, at least to start the season. However, you can only put up a 56 wRC+ for so long and keep a big league role. House has the base line of a good power hitter who can run high batting averages on balls in play due to how hard he hits it. However, he is still very raw at the plate.

We need to see big strides at the plate from House in 2026. If we do not, his spot in this core could be in jeopardy. While House was a top 100 prospect, he was not as highly regarded as James Wood or Dylan Crews. That means his leash will be shorter.

2026 is a big year for House. To be blunt, he cannot look like he did at the plate next year. We need to see signs of life on the offensive side of the ball. However, if he can show that, he can be the Nats third baseman for years to come. Brady House has a lot of work to do though.

Season Grade: A in the Minors/D- in the MLB

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...ourished-in-minors-faced-growing-pains-in-mlb

 

[Washington Nationals]

Taking An Analytical Look At The Most Valuable Players In Washington Nationals Playoff History

In the 5 playoff trips in the Washington Nationals’ history, they’ve seen some postseason legends be born. From Stephen Strasburg pitching a flu game in the 2017 NLDS and winning the 2019 World Series MVP, to Juan Soto saving the day in the 2019 Wild Card Game and blasting 3 home runs in the World Series, to Michael A. Taylor almost singlehandedly dragging the Nationals to the NLCS in 2017, some Nationals have risen to the occasion more than others. Using Fangraphs’ RE24 statistic, which measures a player’s runs added/prevented compared to league average, let’s take a look at the most valuable players in Nationals’ playoff history.

Most Valuable Hitters

Juan Soto: 6.29 RE24

Unsurprisingly, the king of clutch himself, Juan Soto, tops the list of most valuable Nationals hitters in playoff history. Despite just one playoff run with the club, Soto’s list of valuable moments are endless, from the bases-clearing hit in the Wild Card game, to the game-tying solo shot off Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 of the NLDS, to the go ahead bomb off Justin Verlander in Game 6 of the World Series which led to an iconic bat drop before rounding first base. The only series of the 2019 playoff run where Soto was not clearly one of the most valuable hitters on the team was the NLCS, where the rest of the ballclub were able to carry the weight and more. Perhaps one day, when the Nationals are back to consistently playing October baseball, a hitter will take this crown away from Soto, but until then, he sits atop the “clutch” leaderboards.

Anthony Rendon: 6.18 RE24

Sitting just behind Soto is Anthony Rendon, whose heartbeat was as slow as they come in the 2019 playoffs, where he was the most clutch hitter in the postseason with an 8.21 RE24. Rendon’s list of signature moments in that 2019 playoff run is legendary, from his solo shot off Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 of the NLDS, which started the Nationals’ epic comeback, to his “ball don’t lie” 2-run shot in Game 6 of the World Series after a controversial out call on Trea Turner. Rendon’s playoff heroics don’t end there either, as he hit .368 in the 2014 NLDS and hit a home run in Game 2 of the 2017 NLDS off Jon Lester, which gave the Nats the lead. The playoff run preventing Rendon from easily topping this list is the 2016 NLDS, where Rendon went 3-10, hitting a 2-run shot in Game 3, but otherwise, leaving countless runners on base throughout the series, ultimately resulting in a RE24 of -3.10, worst of all Nats hitters that series.

Michael A. Taylor: 5.70 RE24

The third most valuable hitter in Nationals’ playoff history may also be the player who rose to the moment better than anyone, that player being Michael A. Taylor. Taylor’s 2017 NLDS heroics will never be forgotten in Nationals playoff history, from his game-sealing grand slam in Game 4 to force a Game 5, to his three-run shot early in Game 5, which, at the time, seemed like it might’ve been the break the Nationals needed to win their first playoff series. Overall, he was the 5th most valuable hitter in the 2017 postseason by RE24 in only 4 games, with all 4 names ahead of him being from the World Series clubs. He didn’t stop there either, as he was a vital bench bat for the Nats in their 2019 World Series run, blasting a home run in both the NLCS and World Series. Taylor recently announced his retirement, but his contributions to the Nats in October will never be forgotten.

Most Valuable Pitchers

Stephen Strasburg: 14.04 RE24

As expected, the 2019 World Series MVP, Stephen Strasburg, is the most valuable pitcher in Nationals playoff history, and perhaps one of the most “clutch” pitchers in playoff baseball history. In 8 starts and 1 relief appearance across 3 playoff runs, Stras was dominant, going 6-2 and posting a 1.46 ERA. In the 2017 NLDS, while battling the flu, he went out and threw 7 scoreless innings in an elimination game against the Cubs, forcing a winner-take-all Game 5. In the 2019 Wild Card game, he came in and shut down the Brewers’ lineup, keeping the Nationals in the game where they could pull off their improbable comeback. In the 2019 World Series, he dominated in his two starts, winning both and posting a 2.51 ERA en route to being named the World Series MVP. We will likely never again see a pitcher in Nats history as built for the moment as Stephen Strasburg, and I am forever grateful for his contributions.

Max Scherzer: 7.68 RE24

Scherzer was good, not great, in his first 2 playoff runs with the Nationals in 2016 and 2017, posting a 0.74 RE24 in the 2016 NLDS but a -0.69 RE24 in the 2017 NLDS. 2019, however, he was vintage Scherzer throughout, as he went 3-0 and posted a 2.40 ERA across 5 starts and 1 relief appearance, coming out to a 7.66 RE24 in total. He went a minimum of 5 innings in all of his starts, giving up more than 2 runs in only the Wild Card game. Perhaps his most impressive performance was in Game 7 of the World Series, where, after not being able to move his neck due to the pain just days before and missing his Game 5 start because of it, Scherzer went out and fired 5 innings of 2-run ball against a deadly Astros lineup, keeping the game within reach and passing the ball off to Patrick Corbin. Scherzer had somewhat of a reputation as a playoff dropper for years, but he put those talks to shame with his heroics throughout the 2019 postseason.

Sean Doolittle: 5.00 RE24

The third most valuable playoff pitcher and the most valuable playoff reliever in Nationals history is Sean Doolittle, acquired at the 2017 trade deadline and the key reliever for the Nats in 2 playoff runs. In 12 total playoff appearances for the Nats, Doolittle was nails out of the pen, posting a 1.74 ERA. He was lights out in the 2017 NLDS, posting 3 scoreless innings, resulting in a 1.51 RE24, but the majority of his contributions came in the 2019 playoff run, where he posted a 1.74 ERA across 10 1/3 innings pitched, leading to a 3.49 RE24. He shared the closer role with Daniel Hudson during that 2019 run, often coming in earlier than that when needed, and he did so masterfully, posting 3 scoreless innings and knotching 1 save in the World Series when the club needed him most. Doolittle’s time with the Nationals as a coach could be nearing its end as a new coaching staff takes over entering 2026, but Nats fans will forever be grateful for his contributions as a player, especially in the postseason.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...st-valuable-players-nationals-playoff-history

 

[Washington Nationals]

Paul Toboni begins the process of shaking up the Washington Nationals front office

It was a quiet first week for Paul Toboni as Nationals President of Baseball Operations. There had not been much noise when it came to the managerial search or what Toboni would do to overhaul the front office. However, he has sprung into action in his second week on the job.

Andrew Golden reported that the Nationals will be making “sweeping changes” to their front office. The first casualties of this overhaul are assistant GM Mark Scialabba and farm director Eddie Longosz. Both were let go today and had played key roles on the player development side.

The Nationals are making sweeping changes to their front office today. Among them: AGM Mark Scialabba and farm director Eddie Longosz have been informed that they aren't returning next season, sources tell @spencernusbaum_ and me.

Stay here for updates.

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) October 8, 2025

Longosz was the more well known of the two. He joined the organization in 2010 and had worked his way up the scouting department. Longosz took over as farm director in 2023. Given the lack of success on the player development side, these firings are not too surprising.

Both had been in the organization for over a decade and were Mike Rizzo guys. Paul Toboni is going to need to remake the front office in his image. To do that, he is going to have to bring in his own guys. The player development side is an easy place to start.

Toboni comes from a scouting and player development background, so this is the area where he will have the most conviction. It is also an area where the need for improvement is obvious. Mike Rizzo is out of a job because of the Nationals failure to draft and develop. Any new POBO would likely make these moves. I doubt this was much of a surprise for Longosz and Scialabba.

However, this appears to only be the start of the Toboni overhaul. A source told the great Barry Svrluga that this overhaul would be a bloodbath. You hate to see people lose their jobs, but this is exactly what a lot of Nationals fans wanted to hear.

One scout described it as a “blood bath.” https://t.co/5IMGgZBIvR

— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) October 8, 2025

Since the World Series in 2019, the Nats franchise has fallen behind the rest of the league. Baseball is an adapt or die business, and the Nats failed to adapt. Now the front office is going to face the consequences of not adapting.

Seeing this shakeup is exciting. Hopefully Toboni can bring in new voices that can help modernize the organization. Bringing the Nationals into the 2020’s is Toboni’s number one priority this offseason and this is a step towards accomplishing that.

However, not everyone will be gone. It was reported that Mike DeBartolo will be staying in the organization. There was no word on what role he will be filling, but he will stay around. After Mike Rizzo got fired in July, DeBartolo was the Interim GM. He also interviewed for the full time gig.

Mike DeBartolo, who served as interim Gm and was a candidate to lead baseball ops, will remain with the organization sources say. https://t.co/LViOqMEjDl

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) October 8, 2025

This is going to be something to follow throughout the offseason. Big changes are coming to this organization, and they were needed. I am very interested to see who stays and who goes. The next thing on the agenda for Toboni is determining what happens on the coaching side. It has not officially been announced, but I would be shocked if we didn’t see massive changes there.

The offseason is underway and the stove is heating up for the Washington Nationals. Paul Toboni has a big job ahead of him and big calls to make. He made the first of those big calls today.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...-shaking-up-washington-nationals-front-office

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: James Wood showed his brilliance, but also his flaws

It is sometimes easy to forget, but 2025 was James Wood’s first full season as a big leaguer. He played most of the season as a 22 year old. Despite his tender age, Wood was the focal point of the Nationals offense. Often that was for the best, but when he struggled, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

James Wood only came up in July of 2024. After a strong half season, Wood was expected to take the next step in 2025. If you step back and look at the big picture, he did just that. For the season, Wood hit .256 with an .825 OPS. He slugged 31 home runs and drove in 94 runs. Those are really strong numbers for a young player in a lineup without much protection. Wood also posted 3.3 fWAR and 3.7 bWAR.

The thing that stands out the most about James Wood is his raw power. He hits some freakish home runs, especially to the opposite field. The opposite field homer became a Wood trademark. When you look at his spray chart, so many of his homers are to left field or left-center.

james wood is actually a perfect name for a slugger. And I think we all know why pic.twitter.com/m2NP773ZNj

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 21, 2025

It feels so long ago now, but James Wood’s first half was otherworldly. On July 4th, James Wood was hitting .294 with a .958 OPS. He had already hit 23 home runs by Independence Day. At that point in the season, Wood was one of the best hitters in all of baseball. The 22 year old was an utter phenom and looked like one of the future faces of baseball. When discussing his season, you have to keep this in mind. Yes, he struggled in the second half, and we will get into that, but we cannot forget about his first half either.

My favorite moment of Wood’s season came early in April, when the Nats were playing the Marlins. It actually came from the Marlins broadcast. Wood hit a line drive missile over the fence. The home run was so impressive that the Marlins announcers were audibly shocked and could not believe what they had seen.

The Marlins broadcast was absolutely stunned by James Wood's insane opposite field home run last night pic.twitter.com/Ekd1n081Yd

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) April 12, 2025

Those are the kinds of moments James Wood can bring. He can do things that very few baseball players can do. Wood is just a freak athlete at 6’7 234 pounds. He hits the ball so hard and can do truly mesmerizing things on a baseball field.

His truly elite exit velocities and hard hit rates give him the potential to be one of the best hitters in baseball. The truly elite hitters, like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and even Kyle Schwarber are the guys who hit the ball the hardest. Wood hits the ball like that and we saw him perform like one of the best hitters in the sport in the first half.

However, Wood ran into some pretty big problems in the second half. Simply put, he had a hard time hitting the ball at all. Strikeouts are always going to be a part of Wood’s game. Most long levered guys have big strikeout numbers and Wood is no different.

Even in his special first half, where he posted a .915 OPS, Wood struck out 27.6% of the time. May was his best month of the season, and he struck out 27% of the time then. So we know that Wood can succeed even with high strikeout numbers.

However, things got out of control in the second half. After the All-Star break, Wood struck out 39% of the time. Those are Joey Gallo kinds of numbers and are not going to allow him to be at his best. Even in August and September, where he had improved from his truly miserable July, Wood’s strikeout rates were deep into the 30’s and ate away at his production.

This second half strikeout frenzy had Wood chasing the wrong kind of history. He was closing in on the all time single season strikeout record, which Mark Reynolds set back in 2009. In the end, Wood finished with 221 strikeouts, but the punch outs were still very alarming.

James Wood struck out 221 times this season.

Only players with more in a season:
Adam Dunn – 222 (2012)
Mark Reynolds – 223 (2009) pic.twitter.com/Fy6W9W4OqF

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 28, 2025

Those strikeout problems are why Wood posted a .689 OPS in the second half. All the swing and miss also cut into his power, with the big slugger only hitting 7 second half homers. Wood hits the ball on the ground more than most sluggers, so when he is striking out a ton, he simply is not hitting it in the air enough to homer consistently.

For the season, James Wood struck out 32.1% of the time. Getting that number down will be his number one priority this offseason. He does not have to be some contact hitter, just get that number back around 27%. Wood has proven he can be an elite hitter while striking out 27% of the time.

Beyond his offensive game, Wood’s defense is still shaky, but it has improved. He is a negative defender, posting -7 outs above average. Last year, in half the games, he had -5 OAA. So on a rate basis, his defense improved. There were actually times in the middle of the season where I thought Wood played good defense.

However, as we got into the second half, his defense tailed off with his bat. It just seemed like he wore down in the second half. The bat was not the same, the defense fell off and his sprint speed regressed. I wonder if he was nursing an injury or just feeling the effects of playing a 162 game season for the first time.

Looking at the season in its entirety, this was a successful year for James Wood. If you told me before the season that Wood would hit 31 homers and have an .825 OPS, I would have taken that for sure. He became the first National to hit 30 homers since 2019.

However, that second half inevitably leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Wood did have a good final couple weeks to leave fans with something positive, but there were a lot of ugly at bats in the second half. His lethargic demeanor can also be frustrating at times.

However, the whole package is still very strong. Wood had a good season while having so many areas of growth remaining in his game. His ceiling is still so high, but he has more to work on than we thought after his electric first half. I am excited to watch the James Wood experience for years to come, even if it can be frustrating at times.

Season Grade: A-/B+

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/general/86769/nationals-grades-james-wood-showed-brilliance-flaws

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals History: Six years ago Howie Kendrick got the Washington Nationals over the NLDS hump

On October 9th of 2025, the Washington Nationals are at home, after failing to miss the playoffs yet again. The franchise is undergoing a major transition, with Paul Toboni taking over as President of Baseball Operations. However, six years ago, things were a lot different. October 9th was the day the Washington Nationals conquered their long standing demons en route to a World Series title.

For years, the NLDS was the end of the road for the Washington Nationals. Every year they made the playoffs, they got eliminated in the NLDS, always in heartbreaking fashion. It happened in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Each season they were dominant in the regular season and won their division, but could not get over the hump.

As we know, 2019 was different. It was not a smooth regular season. The team famously started the season 19-31 before turning things around and securing a Wild Card berth. That Wild Card game was not easy either. The Nats had their backs against the wall the whole game before Juan Soto saved the day with a little help from Trent Grisham.

That set up yet another NLDS. They would be playing against a 106 win Dodgers team that was an absolute juggernaut. The Dodgers had made the World Series each of the prior two seasons, and the 2019 team was arguably more talented than both of those teams.

The odds were stacked against the Nats, as they had been throughout the season. It was a hard fought series, but after the teams split the first four games, the series would be decided by a winner take-all game 5. The Nats were no strangers to Game 5’s. They lost in 5 games in 2012, 2016 and 2017.

When the Nats gave up three runs in the first two innings, it felt like deja vu. At least this time Nats fans would be put out of their misery early in the game instead of suffering a late inning collapse like 2012. With Walker Buehler dealing, things were looking grim.

After the Nats got a run home in the 6th, the stage was set for a big finish late in the game. The Nationals had a rally going in the 7th inning, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts extinguished the threat by turning to his ace Clayton Kershaw, who struck out Adam Eaton.

With Kershaw on the bump, things looked dire for the Nats again. However, the middle of the lineup was up. Anthony Rendon led off the inning by providing the swing of his life. On a slider well below the zone, Rendon got his barrel to it and sent it over the fence.

Before you could even fully soak in the Rendon homer, 20 year old phenom Juan Soto sent a titanic blast halfway up the Dodgers Stadium bleachers. It was a hanging slider and Soto made Clayton Kershaw pay.

NLDS Game 5
October 9, 2019

Now Juan Soto hits a BOMB, no doubter off playoff Kershaw to tie the game, its back-to-back home runs pic.twitter.com/b2F1cxMYGS

— Nats Fan (@Nats_HRs) October 9, 2024

It was an agonizing moment for Kershaw, who had playoff scars but pure jubilation for the Nationals and all Nats fans. The team had new life and had risen from the dead yet again. However, it was far from over. The game was still tied and eventually went into extra innings.

That leads us to man of the moment. Howie Kendrick was having an insane late career revival. Howie Kendrick missed most of the 2018 season due to an achilles tear. His achilles tear was actually why the Nats called up a 19 year old Juan Soto in 2018.

Now the two were teammates and both had insane seasons. In the regular season, Kendrick hit .344 with a .966 OPS. He was having his best offensive season at 35 years old coming off a torn achilles. Kendrick could not play every day because of his defense. Remember this was before the universal DH, so Howie had to play in the field.

However, he was in the lineup on October 9th and came up in a massive spot in the 10th inning. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly got himself into a bit of a pickle in his second inning of work. He walked Adam Eaton before allowing a ground rule double to Anthony Rendon. After his homer in the 8th, the Dodgers had seen enough of Juan Soto and decided to intentionally walk him.

Now it was time, it was Howie Kendrick’s moment. His whole season and career had been leading up to this moment. Bases loaded, top of the 10th and a chance to finally exorcize the Nationals NLDS demons. It was the moment to deliver and Howie Kendrick rose to the occasion.

The veteran blasted a ball to right center field that left the yard. Howie Kendrick had done it. He had hit a grand slam to make it 7-3. The nightmares of years past were now gone thanks to one swing of the bat. It was one of the great moments in club history. Kendrick could not contain his excitement as he rounded the bases triumphantly.

6 years ago today, Howie Kendrick had a magical moment that I remember being in my living room just in complete shock pic.twitter.com/xMH4yG5o18

— Kev (@klwoodjr) October 9, 2025

Of course, this moment would not mean quite as much if the fight were not finished. As we know, the fight was finished. They won that game 7-3 and advanced to the NLCS for the first time in team history. We all know what happened next, and we may talk about some of those moments at a later date.

Now, six years later, where are these characters? Well, not many are with the Nats. We know where Juan Soto and Anthony Rendon are up to, but where is Howie? What happened to the man that delivered two of the great moments in team history?

Well, he played one more season in 2020 before retiring. Now, Howie Kendrick is working at a place that houses many former Nationals. That would be the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Kendrick now works there as a special assistant to the GM.

Even if he is with the enemy now, we will never not love Howie. He was the man who delivered in the biggest moments and will always be beloved for that. This home run might be overshadowed by another Howie Kendrick playoff moment, but Nats fans will never forget what happened six years ago today.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...-kendrick-washington-nationals-over-nlds-hump

 

[Washington Nationals]

Adapt or Die: Mike Rizzo’s Final Stand Against Analytics in 2025

It was no secret to Nationals fans that the ball club was running a very old-school ship the last few years. While many organizations in the league were developing and using all kinds of strategies like openers and torpedo bats to gain an advantage, the Nats seemed to be content keeping things the way they had been before, lacking change in a league that was defined by change. We didn’t know the full extent of this resistance to change, however, until an article published by Spencer Nusbaum in the Washington Post yesterday revealed what was going on behind the scenes in 2025.

According to the article, there was a belief within the organization that they had begun to make strides in player development to catch up to the rest of baseball. In 2025, however, they felt as if they had taken a step back. How could that be? As it turns out, Mike Rizzo had had enough of some of the changes that were being made on the player development side of the team, and started making sweeping mandates that better fit “his vision”.

For instance, in 2024, the Nationals catchers were told to catch in the stance most comfortable to them, whether that be the traditional crouch or the modern one-knee-down approach. For whatever reason, in 2025, Mike Rizzo had had enough of the one-knee-down catching stance and made it a mandate within the organization for catchers to use the traditional stance.

It’s unbelievable that in 2025, with all the information and data we have out there, specifically in this case on catching stances, with one-knee-down having many benefits such as framing and just overall stamina improvement for catchers, that a team would choose to limit themselves in such a way. This mandate was removed once Mike DeBartolo took over as the interim GM after Rizzo’s firing, but half a season’s worth of opportunities to learn and improve for the Nats’ young catchers had been wiped by then.

Another ruling by Mike Rizzo to combat the rise of analytics in the Nats organization was the removal of performance analysts from the dugouts of the Nationals’ minor league affiliates. For years, the Nats had staffers for each minor league affiliate whose job was to translate information to the players and coaches so they could use it. For reasons unknown, before the 2025 season, Mike Rizzo told these staffers not to be in the dugout during games, perhaps somehow believing filling these players’ heads with numbers and info would make them worse at baseball. This decision was also reversed by Mike DeBartolo once he began running the show in July, but once again was half a season where players were losing potential advice and teaching moments.

A comment made by Seaver King, Nationals 2024 first-round pick, from the Arizona Fall League truly summarizes how backwards the Nationals’ player development has been with Mike Rizzo at the helm. After going 3-5 and finishing a triple shy of the cycle in a game in the AFL, King told MLB.com that he had spent all year trying to figure out his swing and hoping everything else would fall into place.

What has helped him change his approach was not coaching advice, but rather the advice of Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle, one of the top prospects in all of baseball and currently in the AFL, who told King, “It’s never about the swing. It’s always pitches and timing and all those things”. It took a 20-year-old prospect from another organization offering insight to King for him to begin to turn a corner, not anything coaches in the Nats organization were offering him. The lack of focus on plate approach also makes it clear why players such as CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr, and Keibert Ruiz have seemingly no plan at the plate at times in the big leagues.

Based on what we knew beforehand and what this article told us, I believe Mike Rizzo knew his seat was hot entering 2025 and decided if he was going to go out, he was going to go out “his way”, and that meant sticking to his very traditionalist mindset. Between falling back on old free agent signings in Josh Bell and Trevor Williams in the offseason, mandating the traditional catcher’s stance throughout the organization, and kicking the performance analysts out of the minor league dugouts, Rizzo was all out on analytics in a league where the best ball clubs are all in on them. With all the information we have now and will certainly get in the future on Mike Rizzo’s stances on player development, it’s no surprise the failure the Nationals have had when it comes to developing young talent, especially on the hitting side of things.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...mike-rizzo-final-stand-against-analytics-2025

 

[Washington Nationals]

When should Washington Nationals fans expect a new manager?

Paul Toboni has already made big moves in his first week or so as Nationals President of Baseball Operations. He has fired a lot of the front office and Minor League coaching staff. So we know he is busy. However, one thing we have not gotten a lot of clarity on is the managerial search.

News on who will be the full time replacement for Davey Martinez has been fairly quiet. Outside of speculation, the Nationals have not been connected to any specific outside candidates. The only person we know who is being considered for the job is Interim Manager Miguel Cairo.

Yesterday, while on the radio, Toboni said he had told Cairo that he was a candidate for the job, but that the organization would be conducting an extensive search. That search has not kicked off quite yet according to Toboni, but he hopes to start it soon.

Paul Toboni said he had a conversation with interim manager Miguel Cairo and told him he'd be a candidate within an extensive search for a new manager.

Said he hopes the search will kick off "soon."

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) October 9, 2025

This makes some sense. Toboni has had a lot of work to do in his brief time on the job. He has been evaluating the current Nationals employees and has had to let go of a lot of those people. Clearly, his number one priority was evaluating what was already in house before looking for replacements.

Looking for managers right now is also complicated. While there are plenty out of work managers you can interview, there are also people you cannot access. If Toboni wants someone who is on the staff of a team still in the playoffs, he will have to wait. However, you have to balance that with the need to act quickly.

Toboni did not commit to any specific timeline, but if I had to guess, they would want a manager within the next month. You do not want the uncertainty hanging over everyone’s head for too long. The same goes for the current coaching staff, which still has not officially been let go.

However, according to the Washington Post, people familiar with the situation said that the current coaches would be shocked if they came back. Based on the big changes Toboni has made elsewhere, the poor season the Nats had and the fan displeasure with the coaching staff, I think their read is correct. The Post also said the Nats wouldn’t stop the coaches from exploring job opportunities elsewhere.

The other big question is what kind of manager do the Nationals want? Davey Martinez was an old school guy, but also a player’s coach. A lot of times teams like to hire the opposite of the old guy, so it is important to keep that in mind.

Toboni did talk a bit about what he is looking for. He said that previous MLB managerial experience is an asset, but not a requirement. That opens the door for Minor League managers, bench coaches and other non-managers to have a crack at the position.

When asked if previous MLB manager experience is important: "Not the end all be all, but it's a feather in the cap." Said experience can in different ways: minor league manager, major league bench coach, front office exec.

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) October 9, 2025

I am very interested to see what Toboni does here. He has a lot of positions to fill after all the firings. The 35 year old has a chance to really put his finger prints on the organization. He wants to shake things up.

With that in mind, I would be quite surprised if the Nats hired Cairo. While Toboni told Cairo he is a candidate, I would not be shocked if that was more of a courtesy move. It is out with the old and in with the new right now in DC. Keeping Cairo would not fit that.

We will keep you guys updated on all of the turnover in the Nations Capital. This is an offseason of change. A new POBO has come in, a new manager is coming and so much of the team personnel from the top down will be different in 2026. This shakeup was needed and should help revitalize the organization.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/nat...-washington-nationals-fans-expect-new-manager

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: Jacob Young played elite defense but that was it

Jacob Young had a weird season. He produced some of the coolest and most memorable plays in recent Nationals history. However, his season was also a bit of a let down. Young is one of the best in the sport patrolling center field, but his game became one dimensional this year.

Let’s start with the numbers. Offensively, Jacob Young took a step back in 2025. He was no offensive star in 2024, but he hit a solid .256 with a .647 OPS. Not great, but good enough given his defensive ability. In 2025, he only hit .231 with a .583 OPS. Last season, Young posted 2.7 fWAR despite the lackluster offense. This year, that number fell to 1.0 fWAR.

The reason for that was his elite defense, but also elite baserunning. In 2024, Young was a very strong base runner. He stole 33 bases and posted 4.3 BsR, which helped him collect value. That was a very important part of his game and something he will need to get back to.

The base running was just not as good for Young in 2025. He only stole 15 bases while being caught a league leading 11 times. Young was just indecisive on the base paths. His jumps were poor and he was caught in between a lot. For the season, Young’s BsR was exactly 0. For a player of his archetype, that is unacceptable.

You can be a starting player with a below average bat, but you need to do a lot of things well. Young only did one thing well, and that was the defense. His bunting, base running and situational hitting all got worse in 2025. Those are things Young needs to do to get more than sporadic playing time.

However, his defense will always give him a spot in the MLB. Young is just an elite center fielder. Since 2024, Young has 34 OAA, which is truly awesome stuff. Just ask Mets fans about his defense, they can attest to it. He helped keep the big money Mets out of the playoffs with two insane plays.

The first one was an insane improvisational catch by Young. He went up to the wall to make a play. Young got his glove on it, but the ball was falling to the ground. While it was falling, Young kicked it to himself to make a crazy play.

JACOB YOUNG OH MY GOODNESS! pic.twitter.com/bHaSqV0d29

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2025

In the 9th inning, Young struck again, robbing Francisco Alvarez of a homer. With the Mets missing the playoffs by a tiebreaker, these plays probably cost the Mets a chance at October baseball.

Jacob Young is looking like Superman out there pic.twitter.com/mUkLEvWJ98

— Kev (@klwoodjr) September 21, 2025

In the field, Young is such a dynamic playmaker and clearly deserves an MLB spot. He is simply more valuable than a guy like Robert Hassell because he has one elite skill. However, he is too one dimensional to be a full time starter in my opinion.

Next year, I think the Nats should roll with Wood, Crews and Lile in the outfield, with Young as the 4th guy. It would be a good role for him because he would be able to come into a lot of games as a defensive replacement.

If Young wants to get back to being a real part of this core, the offense needs to really improve, which feels unlikely and his base running needs to improve, which is more realistic. The 2024 version of Jacob Young was a pretty valuable player. He needs to get back to that because he was a one trick pony this year.

Season Grade: C-/D+

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...ades-jacob-young-played-elite-defense-that-it

 

[Washington Nationals]

The four most painful Washington Nationals playoff losses

Over the last couple of days, there have been some painful playoff exits. The Phillies and the Tigers both got sent home in agonizing fashion. Detroit got sent home in a 15 inning thriller in Seattle, while a brutal decision by Orion Kerkering cost the Phillies their season. Nationals fans are all too familiar with these heartbreaking games, so let’s turn back the clock.

It's all over at Chavez Ravine #CLINCHED

(MLB x @BudweiserUSA) pic.twitter.com/W3mVVBYq13

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025

4. 2016 NLDS Game 5 vs LA Dodgers:

The first game on this list is one of three winner-take-all contests we have here. This 4-3 loss was somehow the least agonizing of the Game 5’s over the years. In the other two game 5’s, it felt like the Nationals were the better team and deserved to advance. However, in this series, I just think the Dodgers outplayed the Nats over the five games.

Of course, that 2016 team was awesome. It is one of my favorite Nationals teams ever. Daniel Murphy and Max Scherzer were both so electric that season, with Mad Max winning a Cy Young and Murphy finishing second in MVP voting. Dusty Baker’s composed managerial style was also a breath of fresh air after the 2015 Matt Williams debacle.

The game was a 1-0 Nats lead going into the 7th. Max Scherzer was cruising through six innings. However, after a Joc Pederson homer to start the 7th, Scherzer’s day was done after 99 pitchers. In hindsight, maybe Baker should have rode his Cy Young winner a little longer.

That set the stage for a slow motion collapse where five Nats relievers appeared in the 7th inning. None of them had much luck and by the end of the inning, it was 4-1 Dodgers. It really felt like Dusty Baker had over managed.

However, the Nationals were not gonna go down without a fight. In the bottom of the 7th, Chris Heisey hit a 2-run homer to make it a one run game. After that, there was tons of traffic, but the Dodgers always got out unscathed.

The critical moment came in the bottom of the 9th. After two walks by Kenley Jansen, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw came in to close out the game. He came in to face the dynamic Daniel Murphy with two on and one out. Murphy missed a cookie from Kershaw and popped it up.

Wilmer Difo was the last man on the bench and struck out to end the game. However, the game was really over when Murphy popped up. It was a tough loss, but there are worse ones coming.

3. 2014 NLDS Game 2 vs San Francisco Giants

The Mariners vs Tigers game last night actually reminded me of this game. Innings just kept coming and going with nobody wanting to score. That is what happened when the Nats met the Giants in the NLDS in 2014. Except this game took 18 innings to be decided, not 15.

This is the only game on this list that was not an elimination game, which shows how painful it really was. There were a couple brutal losses in this series, with this game and the one where Aaron Barrett couldn’t throw the ball accurately to the catcher for an intentional walk. Of course, nowadays you don’t have to throw the four pitches.

This game will always be known as the one where Matt Williams did not let Jordan Zimmermann finish the job. After finishing the season with a no-hitter, Zimmermann picked up right where he left off in the NLDS.

The Nats had lost game one of the series at home, so they needed this one. Through 8.2 innings, Zimmermann was unbelievable. He had allowed 3 hits and 1 walk. However, after walking a batter in the 9th with two outs, Matt Williams had seen enough.

He pulled Zimmermann for closer Drew Storen. This was an awful decision. Storen was the author of the brutal collapse in 2012 and Zimmermann was dealing. He was only at 100 pitches as well. However, Williams went to his closer anyway.

Ex-Nat of the Day Drew Storen (2010-15) had a 3.02 ERA and 95 saves in 355 regular season games, but an 8.44 ERA and 1 save in 6 postseason games. He’s currently recovering from Tommy John surgery. pic.twitter.com/EGr5Qu7MtF

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) August 3, 2018

Of course, this would not work out. The Giants got two straight hits off of Storen to tie the game. After the Nats got shut down in the bottom of the 9th, the game would go to extras.

In extra innings, it was a marathon where nobody wanted to score. Yusmeiro Petit pitched an insane six scoreless innings of relief for the Giants that night. The ever reliable Craig Stammen tossed three scoreless frames for the Nats.

It was a battle of attrition, who would blink first. The Nats were sadly the team to blink first. In the 18th inning, Brandon Belt launched a home run deep into the DC night. It was a no doubt shot. Even though the Nats had the bottom of the inning, that felt like a dagger.

It was the kill shot, and the Nats would not score. The Nationals would actually beat Madison Bumgarner in San Francisco to extend the series to four games, but they lost in that game four. Just a devastating game.

2. 2017 NLDS Game 5 vs Chicago Cubs

After an iconic game four win to split the series, the Nats had forced a game 5 against the defending champions. They had all the momentum after a gutsy Stephen Strasburg start and a Michael A. Taylor grand slam.

After the Cubs struck first, the Nats crushed Kyle Hendricks in the 2nd inning. Daniel Murphy hit a solo shot and then Michael A. Taylor had another huge moment with a 3-run homer. It looked like smooth sailing.

However, Gio Gonzalez just didn’t have it that night. He only gave the Nats three innings and allowed three runs. That meant it was 4-3 entering the fifth inning. Nats ace Max Scherzer came in to try to give the Nats big innings.

It was not Scherzer’s day though. After getting two quick outs, things collapsed. Scherzer got unlucky with some cheap hits and it cost him. His catcher Matt Wieters also had a disaster of an inning. A double made it 5-4, but after that, Max got let down.

He got his strikeout which should have ended the inning. However, Wieters couldn’t catch the ball and the batter got to first and a runner scored. Just a disastrous sequence. Things got even worse after a catcher’s interference by Wieters. After a hit by pitch with the bases loaded, it was 7-4. Just an apocalyptic inning.

However, the Nats fought back. After the Cubs made it 8-4 on a horribly misplayed ball by Jayson Werth, the Nats cut the lead to two in the bottom of the frame. However, the Nats couldn’t hold the Cubs yet again and the game was 9-6.

Cubs closer Wade Davis came in during the 7th inning. He was not very sharp and the Nats scored on him in that inning and in the 8th. However, a mental mistake cost the Nats big time when Jose Lobaton was picked off.

It was 9-8 in the 9th, but Davis locked in. He got a 1-2-3 inning. The image of him striking out Bryce Harper is burned in my brain. It really felt like the Nats were never going to get it done at that point. However, this was somehow not the most brutal loss.

1. 2012 NLDS Game 5 vs St. Louis Cardinals

Of course this one was going to be number one. It was the most agonizing game in Nats history. I remember leaving the ball park in tears that October night. All Nats fans thought the team had advanced to the NLCS, but we lost a game that was tough to lose.

It was all Nationals early. The Nats were all over Adam Wainwright. Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse all homered in the first three innings. It felt like a coronation for the Nationals. They were cruising against the defending champs.

However, the Cardinals would slowly cut away at the lead. Gio Gonzalez was shaky in his five innings of work, allowing three runs. After a scoreless sixth, the Cards struck again in the 7th and 8th to make it a one run game. Things were beginning to get stressful and the Nats were tight.

Then the Nats got an insurance run. Kurt Suzuki got a massive hit to make it 7-5. The crowd let out a massive sigh of relief. It seemed like the Nats had things under control again. Young closer Drew Storen had a two run cushion to work with and he had been lockdown all season.

However, we know what happened next. Frankly, I don’t even like talking about it because it is so sad. After a Carlos Beltran double, Storen got two quick outs. Then he had so many chances to end the game. The Nats were a strike away from victory on multiple occasions. Storen couldn’t put Yadier Molina or David Freese away though. He walked both of them and the Nats were in trouble.

Then two of the Cardinals pipsqueaks broke Nats fans hearts. Daniel Descalso tied the game on a single. However, the real villain of this story is the Cardinals light hitting shortstop Pete Kozma. His name makes me sick.

The little shortstop provided the dagger, with a base hit to make it 9-7. A young Sam Sallick was bawling his eyes out and left the stadium in my parents arms. It was devastating. At that point, the whole crowd knew it was over and it was. The Nats would go quietly into the night and Nats fans learned what baseball heartbreak was like.

So to Tigers and Phillies fans, we know what heartbreak is like. However, the great thing about baseball is that there is always next year. It is a clean slate and hopes are high when you enter Spring Training.

All those battle scars made 2019 even sweeter. The ghosts of Pete Kozma and Drew Storen no longer haunted Nats fans. So keep your head up, because next year can always be the year.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...r-painful-washington-nationals-playoff-losses

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: Robert Hassell III rebounded but was it enough?

Robert Hassell III had an interesting year. In a lot of ways, it was similar to the season Brady House had. Both dominated in the Minors before really struggling once they got called up to the MLB. However, with Hassell being a couple years older than House, there is more urgency for him to succeed right away.

2023 and 2024 were very difficult years for Robert Hassell III. The former top 10 pick, who was known for his natural hitting ability really struggled to hit in the Minors. In both of those seasons, Hassell had an OPS below .650. Hassell also struggled to stay at full health. A hamate injury really sidetracked him in both of those seasons.

However, Nats fans had plenty of optimism when Hassell showed up on fire to Spring Training. He was the breakout star in Nats camp and really battled to win a roster spot. Hassell hit .370 in spring and had fans clamoring for him to break camp.

However, after a couple difficult seasons in the Minors, the Nats took the patient approach and sent him to Triple-A. After struggling in the first month of the season, Hassell came to life in May. He hit .330 with 5 homers that month, which led to his first MLB call up.

Hassell wasted no time making his mark in the MLB. He got a base hit in his first career at bat and was red hot the first couple games of his career. It looked like Hassell had figured it out now that he was finally healthy.

1st MLB hit for Robert Hassell III! pic.twitter.com/U7ZzJP9bMc

— Allsports Roc (@AllsportsRoc) May 22, 2025

However, the game has a way of humbling you. Hassell really struggled in that initial call up. Before getting demoted, Hassell’s OPS was under .500. He was getting overmatched and needed to reset in AAA.

The Nationals would send him down after really struggling in June. However, Hassell took the demotion well and worked on his game. He eliminated his toe tap and moved to a bigger leg lift. That led to better timing and more pull side power. His patience was also a lot better. In AAA, Hassell walked over 10% of the time.

His good play got him another promotion. Once again, Hassell came out red hot. Armed with the new leg kick, Hassell was firing on all cylinders. He was pulling more fly balls, which led to some more extra base hits and homers.

Robert Hassell III Two-Run Home Run, and on his second day back to the bigs! pic.twitter.com/VFRKdhfmYY

— Nats Fan (@Nats_HRs) August 3, 2025

However, it would not last. Once again, Hassell would cool off. A big reason why his bat has not been sustainable is his big strikeout numbers and low walk rate. For the season, Hassell struck out over 30% of the time and walked less than 4% of the time.

For a guy known for his hitting ability, those strikeout rates just do not fly. Unlike James Wood, he does not have the power to make up for that kind of swing and miss. We saw Daylen Lile’s hitting ability translate, but that was not the case for Hassell. Despite hitting .310 with an .839 OPS in AAA, that hitting ability did not come with him to the MLB.

On defense, Hassell played a decent center field. He put up -1 OAA, but got his overall fielding value to 0 due to gaining value with his strong arm. The thing with Hassell is that he does not have a tool he can really hang his hat on. Everything is just average at best across the board.

Robert Hassell III robs Randal Grichuk at the 410 mark in CF. Perfect timing, unreal athleticism. pic.twitter.com/sfLDI3b3Sh

— natsfanatics (@natsfanatics_) August 13, 2025

His hitting ability was supposed to be his carrying tool, but as he went up the Minors into the MLB, the hit tool has not been as advertised. With a glut of outfielders, Hassell could be the odd man out here. We wrote about that at the end of the season. He has the ability to be a versatile piece in an outfield if he can make some improvements.

However, the Nationals have a lot of these potential fourth outfielder types. Between Hassell, Andrew Pinckney and Christian Franklin, there is a surplus of future fourth outfielders. Hassell has the biggest name of those three, so a trade could be possible.

Overall, this was a decent year for Hassell. He rebounded his stock in the Minors and got his way to the MLB. However, he really struggled once he got there. It will be interesting to see what Paul Toboni does with Hassell.

Season Grade: A in the minors and D in the MLB

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...grades-robert-hassell-rebounded-was-it-enough

 

[Washington Nationals]

Three stats the Washington Nationals need to improve to get back to relevancy

It is no secret that the Nationals had an ugly season. Whenever your manager and GM are fired midseason, that is never a good sign. The Washington Nationals were 66-96 in 2025, which was actually a regression from the previous two seasons. With that in mind, it is pretty obvious that there were some ugly stats. I wanted to take a look at the 3 stats the Nationals need instant improvement on.

Paul Toboni is not going to turn this thing around in one season. This will not be a quick fix. However, I do think there is some low hanging fruit for improvement. When looking at the numbers, there were three stats that really jumped out to me. So let’s dive into those.

Pitching Disaster:

The first stat is nothing fancy, it is just the team ERA. In 2025, the Nationals had an ERA of 5.35 as a team. That is just an unacceptable number and is actually the worst in team history. Given that statistic, it should come as no surprise that the Nats allowed the most runs in team history.

FINAL: White Sox 8, Nationals 0. Washington finishes a tumultuous season at 66-96, five games worse than their 2023/2024 record.

The Nationals pitching staff allowed more runs (899) than any team in Nationals history.

— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) September 28, 2025

You just can’t win with pitching that bad. The bullpen ERA was the worst in all of baseball and the rotation was not much better. The 2025 Nationals had a massive pitching problem and it is something Paul Toboni will have to solve.

A big theme of the last years of the Mike Rizzo era was that the team was behind the curve. That was clear to see in the pitching staff. We wrote a piece about how the Nationals were throwing more fastballs than ever in a league where the smartest teams are moving away from fastball usage.

Toboni’s Red Sox were one of those teams moving away from fastballs, so that could be a trend to look for next year. When guys like Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker are throwing their mediocre heaters over 50% of the time, something isn’t right. That is why the Nationals had the second worst ERA in all of baseball, only behind a historically bad Rockies team that is at a disadvantage due to playing at altitude.

Nationals fans should not expect some elite staff next year, but a return to respectability would be nice. In 2024, the Nationals had a 4.30 ERA for the season. That is nothing special, but it is solid. The 2025 Nats would have won a lot more games if their ERA was 4.30 instead of 5.35. Getting back to that level seems like a realistic goal.

Flimsy Defense:

However, pitch usage is not the only reason the pitching staff suffered and that leads us to our second statistic. That stat is outs above average, where the Nats -32 mark was the second worst in all of baseball. The defense was just so bad in DC this year.

Defense is an interesting thing to look at because you can win without an elite defense. However, it is nearly impossible to win with a bad defense. Only one of the bottom 11 defensive teams in baseball made the playoffs this year. That team is the Mariners, who make up for it with a great pitching staff and a powerful offense.

Most playoff teams have at least an average defense out there. With the margins being so small in baseball, you can win a lot of games off of making a key play or two every game. That is not something the Nats were doing. In fact, they would lose games with their defense.

Two areas where the Nats were particularly bad defensively were in the middle of the infield and behind the plate. Unfortunately for the Nats, those are two of the most important defensive positions.

Up the middle, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. were both bad defensively. Having your shortstop and second baseman be bad defensively is tough to live with. It is alright to have one bad defender up the middle, but not two.

Abrams’ defensive struggles at shortstop have led a lot of people to wonder about a move to second base. The position just makes more sense for Abrams. His weaker arm and at times limited range really show up at shortstop. However, I think his athleticism could shine at the second base position. This is something for Paul Toboni to consider.

Watching the Cubs try to get to the NLCS and all I can think about is the Nationals infield defense.

The fastest, cheapest, easiest way for Paul Toboni to make the Nationals a lot better is to improve their infield defense. Garcia (2B) and Abrams (SS) are both well below…

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 12, 2025

The Nationals having bad catching defense is nothing new. Keibert Ruiz has been a bad defensive catcher for most of his career, and nothing changed in 2025. Riley Adams has a rocket arm, but he is also a limited defender.

The framing was especially problematic. In 2025, the Nationals were the worst framing team in all of baseball. The inability to steal strikes really hurt an already poor pitching staff. The catching position as a whole was an absolute disaster for the Nats this season, especially early on. They were historically bad in the first half.

The Nationals Are a Catching Catastrophe https://t.co/5ZANoXiN7R

— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) June 20, 2025

Paul Toboni needs to look to improve the defense this offseason. It is an easy and often inexpensive way to gain wins. Between finding better defenders and improving the team’s overall fundamentals, I think the defense can become respectable in 2026.

Die from the Home Run:

The home run was a problem for the 2025 Nationals both offensively and pitching wise. On offense, the team actually hit for more power. James Wood gave the team their first 30 home run hitter since 2019.

The Nats went from an abysmal 135 homers in 2024 to a less bad 161 long balls in 2025. Even with the improvement, the Nats still hit the 7th fewest homers in all of baseball. Not great, but still a step in the right direction.

However, the Nationals had a bigger home run problem in 2025 than 2024. How could that be if they hit for more power? That brings us to our last stat which is the home run differential. In 2024, the Nationals gave up 33 more homers than they hit, but in 2025 that number went up to 53.

Obviously, the reason for that is the pitching staff. In 2024, the Nats were good at limiting the long ball. The 168 homers they allowed was actually the 7th fewest in all of baseball. That helped make up for the fact the Nats were not homering.

However, in 2025, the Nats allowed 214 homers, which was the fifth worst in the league. With contact harder to come by than ever, the home run is such an important weapon. Giving up 53 more homers than you hit is an easy way to lose games.

The goal in 2026 should obviously be to prevent more homers. Sure, I would love for the Nats to hit more and they have the potential to do so, but power is a very expensive commodity. I feel like it would be unrealistic to expect the Nats to be top 10 in baseball in homers. However, we saw them be top 10 in fewest homers allowed in 2024. One of Paul Toboni’s goals should be to get that home run differential closer to zero and eventually have it become positive.

There were a lot of ugly stats for the Nats in 2025, but these three tell the story more than any other in my view. The Nats were not only bad at these things, but truly horrible. You cannot win while not pitching well, not fielding well and allowing way more homers than you hit. Paul Toboni needs to find a way to fix this equation in the next couple years for the Nats to get back to playing October baseball.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...ton-nationals-need-improve-get-back-relevancy

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Prospects: Seaver King off to a hot start in the Arizona Fall League

It is no secret that 2025 was a rough year for Nationals first round pick Seaver King. We have talked about it at length. While players selected after him are littered on the top 100 prospect lists, or dominating in the playoffs like Trey Yesavage, King really struggled at the plate. His poor approach is limiting his natural athleticism and is cutting into his numbers.

After hitting .244 with a .631 OPS in High-A and Double-A, the Nats sent King to the Arizona Fall League for more reps. Prospects are sent to the AFL for a variety of reasons. Some are pitchers who need more innings after missing some time due to injury. Others are hitters who need more at bats. Some, like King, just need the AFL to find some mojo.

Confidence is such an important thing in baseball. You can make all the adjustments you want, but you need self belief to succeed. The Nats figured the AFL could be an opportunity for King to reset and get some momentum entering 2026.

So far that looks like a smart move because Seaver King has been raking so far in Arizona. It has been a small sample size, but so far, King is 5/13 with a double and a homer. That strong start gave him a spot on the Baseball America Arizona Fall League hot sheet.

One thing I have noticed is that King is really driving the ball with authority so far. Obviously, he has the home run, but when I have checked the game logs, I have seen a lot of hard contact from King. There are plenty of 100 MPH plus exit velocities, which is great to see. King has the raw power, but tapping into that has been a struggle due to his approach and ground ball hitting tendencies.

Seaver King went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, walk, five RBI and four runs scored last night in @MLBazFallLeague action.

He is 4-for-9 (.444) through two games so far. pic.twitter.com/91ygywefUj

— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) October 9, 2025

Another great thing about the AFL is that you are around players from different organizations. With that comes exposure to new ideas. That is particularly useful for Nats prospects given the state of player development in the organization.

King actually credited Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle with giving him a tip that has been helpful. He said that McGonigle told him to not focus as much on his swing and pay more attention to the pitches and his timing. King said that tip was very useful for him.

You want your mind-blown about player development in the #Nats system:

“I was trying to figure out the swing and everything else,” Seaver King said of his time with Wilmington and Harrisburg, “but at the end of the day, like Kevin McGonigle told me: ‘It's never the swing. It's… https://t.co/7etyvrHamA

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) October 9, 2025

The fact a 21 year old Tigers prospect is doing more to help the development of our prospects than the coaches being paid to develop them is a bit concerning. But hey, sometimes advice from a peer can be more helpful. Hopefully this can be the start of something for King.

Seaver King has a lot of physical tools. He can really run, has good raw power, actually has decent contact skills and can play good defense. However, that feel for the game is what is missing for him. Given the fact he was playing D2 baseball not that long ago, that makes some sense. He was always going to be a slower burn.

Even with that in mind, his first pro season was still disappointing. As a top 10 pick out of college, you should be able to hold your own more than he did at AA. However, this AFL gives the fans some hope for Seaver King.

Next year is a massive season for him. He can re-establish himself with a big season, but if he struggles again, hope will really fade for him. As a raw but athletic talent, King could be a guy who really benefits from the regime change. If they make the right changes to his game, King has the ability to take off. Hopefully this AFL success is a sign of things to come.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...cts-seaver-king-hot-start-arizona-fall-league

 

[Washington Nationals]

What the Washington Nationals can learn from the Brewers and Dodgers

The NLCS between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers began last night. It has been branded as something of a David vs Goliath type showdown. These two teams go about their business in very different ways, but both have success. The Washington Nationals can learn a lot from both teams and how they operate.

Let’s start with the Brewers, who have been branded as the scrappy underdogs despite winning 97 games this season, four more than the Dodgers. Some analysts seem confused as to why they are presented that way, but it is pretty obvious as to why this is the case.

For one, the Dodgers are the defending World Series champions who have been the defining team of the 2020’s. The other reason is the payroll discrepancy. LA spends more on a couple players than the Brewers do on their whole team. The Dodgers have infinite resources in ways other teams do not.

Dodgers two key guys tonight were Snell and Freeman. They signed FA contracts totaling $344 million dollars.

The cumulative Brewers payroll for the past three seasons is $330 million. That’s our entire payroll. For three years.

— paulpressey25 (@paulpressey25) October 14, 2025

That financial muscle showed last night with the two stars of the game. Freddie Freeman and Blake Snell won the Dodgers that game last night. Both were big money free agent pickups. They were elite players that hit the market and the Dodgers just splashed the cash to pick them up.

Snell pitched 8 beautiful innings, shutting the Brewers down, while Freeman provided the offense with a moonshot in the 6th inning. The Dodgers took advantage of the Braves not locking up their franchise player and swooped in to make him a Dodger. They did something similar when they traded for Mookie Betts, who the Red Sox refused to pay.

FREDDIE FREEMAN BREAKS THE DEADLOCK! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/pjv99TQjKL

— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2025

There is a lesson for Mark Lerner in this. Sometimes you need to go out and splash the cash to have success. That is what the Nats did in the 2010’s to augment their homegrown core. They did not buy a core like the Dodgers did, but they spent serious cash to support the core they built.

While it is unrealistic to expect Mark Lerner to spend at Dodgers levels, it is fair to expect much more than what we have gotten. At some point, cash is going to have to be spent if the team wants to win a World Series. Even the Brewers, who we will talk about, have struggled to get over the hump because they haven’t had those marquee stars in the way the Dodgers do.

The Dodgers have 15 players making at least $10 million while the Brewers just have 3. Let’s be clear, the Nationals will never have 15 players making at least $10 million, but there is a middle ground Mark Lerner needs to find. However, if they are going to spend, but not like the Dodgers, the Nats will need to learn a thing or two from the Brewers.

The Brewers have become the kings of winning on the margins. When the A’s did their Moneyball experiment, they emphasized getting on base a lot. However, nowadays everyone knows the value of getting on base. Getting on base gets you paid a lot of money, just look at Juan Soto. Yes, he always would be appreciated, but he is appreciated more in this era because of how much he walks.

That meant the Brewers had to find new ways to get an edge, though walks are also a big part of their identity as well. One thing they have really prioritized is contact hitting. In an age where everyone has been hunting for power, the Brewers are not full of sluggers. They were just 22nd in homers this season.

I am sure the Brewers wish they had the kind of power the Dodgers have, but that is expensive. Instead, the Brewers look for under appreciated guys who do the little things well. Players like Isaac Collins or Caleb Durbin. They don’t look the part, but their all around games provide value. Those players hit for average, run the bases well and are good in the field.

Base running and defense are a big part of the Brewers identity. This season, the Brewers were first in base running value and third in defensive value. In an era where pulling the ball in the air has become so emphasized, the Brewers were second to last in air pull rate, only behind the Nats. Sure, they would love to hit homers, but slugging is not their A game and they know it.

The Brewers are also masters of the little things. Davey Martinez used to emphasize doing the little things, but that is a motto that the Brewers truly live by. They are obsessed with getting the runner over or getting a bunt down when needed. The Brewers simply do whatever it takes to score runs.

Small ball CHAOS pic.twitter.com/j48X6xt416

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 24, 2025

They made a play last night that really sums them up well. It was a double play that was so hard to describe, I will just put the video down below. However, it was a perfectly on brand Milwaukee Brewers play. They combined great defense with heads up baseball to make the most unlikely of double plays. It was beautiful to watch.

THE MOST REMARKABLE DOUBLE PLAY YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR LIFE#MagicBrew pic.twitter.com/AYgXXQMwk8

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 14, 2025

Last night, the Dodgers star power overcame the Brewers, but it was a very close game. This should be a very good series, though I suspect the Dodgers super team will prevail in the end.

However, this teaches us a good lesson about team building. There are many ways to skin a cat. You can build a baseball team in a variety of ways. For the Nationals, I think Paul Toboni can take the best of both of these approaches and combine that with his player development prowess.

While the two teams have different offensive philosophies and spending habits, one thing does bring them together. Both teams rely on power pitching to help keep runs off the board. They both ranked in the top 5 for strikeouts by their pitchers. You see both of these teams bring out flamethrowers. The Dodgers have Sasaki and the Brewers have Misiorowski.

The Nationals can learn a lot from just watching this postseason and seeing what these teams do well. When I watch these playoffs, I worry a bit. It seems like these teams are playing a different sport than the Nats. Hopefully Toboni can get us on these teams’ level in the next few years.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...gton-nationals-can-learn-from-brewers-dodgers

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals News: Jacob Young nominated for a Gold Glove award

Today the nominees for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award were announced. Each league has three nominees per position. As a poor defensive team, the Nationals did not have a lot of representation. Only one National got nominated, and unsurprisingly that was Jacob Young.

The 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists – NL Center Field – Jacob Young, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Victor Scott II #RawlingsGoldGloveAwards pic.twitter.com/vtYuVscbjD

— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 15, 2025

Young is developing a reputation as one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball, and it is well deserved. He covers so much ground in the outfield and can make hard plays look easy. As most of the great defenders do, Young also has a flair for the dramatic, making some truly spectacular plays.

In 2025, Young made so many highlight reel plays. You can make a whole compilation of them and still have room to spare. From July onwards, it felt like Young was making some sort of crazy play about once a week. From robbing home runs to making acrobatic plays, the Nats center fielder was doing it all.

Jacob Young’s +14 OAA and highlight-reel catches — like that wild bobble off his foot in NYC — put him back in the Gold Glove mix. PCA’s the favorite, but Young’s got a real shot at gold. #Nats pic.twitter.com/A66v8iw8PR

— natsfanatics (@natsfanatics_) October 15, 2025

This season, Young had 14 outs above average, which is actually fewer than the 20 he piled up last year. However, it felt like he made more spectacular plays this year. Last year, Young had the numbers but maybe not the signature moments. That may have been why he lost the award in 2024 despite having more OAA than the winner Brenton Doyle.

Young made an outstanding last impression to voters in September as well. He made a number of crazy catches, but his play against the Mets was my favorite. Young was going for a ball at the wall and he had it in his glove. However, it popped out and he had to improvise. What Young did next was special. He kicked the ball up in the air and right into his glove. I had never seen anything like that before.

JACOB YOUNG?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!pic.twitter.com/44N9NABLiE https://t.co/OlGQob96sf

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) September 21, 2025

The play helped keep the big money Mets out of the playoffs. However, despite all the crazy plays, he is not the favorite for this award. I would actually be surprised if he won. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs is one of the rising young stars in the game. He also posted 24 outs above average this season.

With all the media attention PCA gets, as well as those numbers, he is likely to win this award. However, it is cool to see Young get the respect he deserves. There are plenty of holes in his game, but his defense is truly elite.

Watching him go get it in center field is a treat. The jumps are always so good and with his elite speed, he can get to just about any ball. His flair for the dramatic is also a lot of fun to watch. Hopefully Young can win one of these at some point in his career because it is an honor he deserves. The Gold Glove winners are announced on November 2nd.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/mlb...ws-jacob-young-nominated-for-gold-glove-award

 

[Washington Nationals]

Paul Toboni and the Washington Nationals poach Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson

After a lot of firings, Paul Toboni is now starting to build the Nationals front office in his own vision. He made his first Assistant GM hiring, poaching a big name from his old club, the Red Sox. Paul Toboni is taking Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson with him, where he will be a big part of the front office.

Another massive loss for the Red Sox front office, with Devin Pearson, Director of Amateur Scouting, leaving for the Nationals. – via @alexspeier.

Both Toboni and Pearson have been such massive parts of the org’s drafting success in recent years.

Very tough to replace… pic.twitter.com/tin9aqfaia

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) October 14, 2025

Like Toboni, Pearson is a young executive who is already making a big mark. At just 31 years old, he is even younger than Toboni. In a lot of ways, Pearson is Toboni’s protege, so bringing him to DC makes a lot of sense.

Toboni and Pearson have a ton of connections, beyond just working together in Boston. Both of them played baseball at Cal Berkeley. They both played around the same time, but missed each other by a year. The two have a long pre-existing relationship though.

Pearson joined the Red Sox organization in 2017, a couple years after Toboni. In Boston, the two worked side by side in the scouting department. When Toboni was the scouting director in Boston, Pearson was an assistant director for him. After Toboni got promoted to AGM, Pearson took his place and continued the great drafting in Boston.

Now Pearson is following Toboni again, this time to DC, where he will be an AGM. Given the duo’s history, this is unsurprising. However, it is interesting that Pearson is taking an assistant GM role, rather than being a GM under Toboni.

There were reports that the Nats were looking for a GM to work under Toboni, who is the President of Baseball Operations. However, at his opening press conference, Toboni was non-committal about the idea. Interestingly, Mike DeBartolo, who was the Nats Interim GM remains in the organization even after the mass firings, but does not have an official role yet.

Could DeBartolo be the GM under Toboni or will he go back to an AGM role, like he had before his stint as Interim GM. We will see, as there is still a lot to figure out in management, but Pearson is a great first hire.

If I had to guess, Pearson would probably be doing a lot of the stuff Toboni did in his AGM role in Boston. Now that Toboni is the head guy, he needs someone else to do the job that he filled in Boston. Clearly he trusts Pearson a lot. Devin Pearson is going to be a big part of this front office in DC.

This is a big time hire for the Nats, and I bet the Red Sox are frustrated by the brain drain in their front office. However, given Pearson’s relationship with Toboni, it would not be great form for the Red Sox to block him from a promotion, so they are not going to do that.

There is still a lot to be decided. No manager has come in yet and neither has a coaching staff. There are still plenty of open front office positions. However, Paul Toboni is bringing a brilliant young mind to DC and one he has a great relationship with. This is a statement first hire for Toboni.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...poach-red-sox-scouting-director-devin-pearson

 

[Washington Nationals]

How the Washington Nationals can improve their bullpen in 2026

As we discussed at length this season, the Washington Nationals bullpen was a disaster. The unit’s 5.59 ERA was the worst in all of baseball by a sizable gap. There are some nice pieces like Jose A. Ferrer, PJ Poulin and Clayton Beeter, but this bullpen is in need of a makeover. Here is what they need to do to make it a successful one.

Last offseason, Mike Rizzo was in a pretty similar position. While the 2024 bullpen was much better than the 2025 unit, Rizzo needed to make a lot of changes. A lot of the key pieces of the bullpen were leaving the team. Rizzo gave himself even more work to do when he traded reliable lefty Robert Garcia to the Rangers for Nathaniel Lowe.

To rebuild the bullpen, Rizzo rolled the dice on a lot of volatile players. Guys like Lucas Sims, Colin Poche and Jorge Lopez had tantalizing upside, but as we found out, the floor was low. Sims had nasty stuff and put together a couple nice years in Cincinnati, but he always had issues throwing strikes. His lack of strike-throwing was ugly and after a disastrous stint, Sims was released in early May.

Colin Poche is another guy who had plenty of success, but he was also destroyed by a lack of strikes. His issues were harder to anticipate, but when the Rays give up on a guy, you have to be wary. Speaking of the Rays, the Nats selected Evan Reifert from them in the Rule 5 draft. Reifert didn’t even make it out of Spring Training due to strike-throwing issues.

Jorge Lopez threw strikes, but was a head case with declining velocity. After Lopez’s dramatic exit from the Mets, there were red flags, but Rizzo chose to ignore them. That came back to haunt him. Poche, Sims and Lopez cost a combined $7 million. The Nats would have been better off setting that money on fire because at least that could keep you warm.

So how do the Nats avoid making the same mistakes this year? With the lack of quality options, the Nats are going to need to use the free agent market to find some arms. What should they be looking for?

Two things that cost them last year was a lack of strike throwing and volatility. They need to find steady, reliable options. There is one guy who is a free agent who might be the steadiest reliever in all of baseball. That would be Tyler Rogers.

Tyler Rogers needs to be a priority for the Mets in the offseason.

pic.twitter.com/bfcVkY77C1

— Mets Batflip (@metsbatflip1) September 27, 2025

In my opinion, Rogers should be the reliever on the expensive side of things the Nationals should sign. He is a durable, productive strike-throwing machine. Since 2021, Rogers has averaged an insane 75 appearances per season and has had an ERA of 2.71 in that time. He has also only walked 1.6 batters per 9 innings in that time despite his insane submarine motion.

This season, he only walked 2.3% of hitters, which ranked in the 100th percentile. While Rogers will be 35 in December, his pitching style should age well. He relies on his extreme deception and command rather than velocity. These submariners can sometimes even pitch into their 40’s. A two or three year deal for Rogers would be good business for the Nats.

Another thing the Nationals need more of in their bullpen is versatility. All of the pitchers Rizzo signed last off-season were one inning guys. If you are watching the playoffs, you would know that the multi-inning reliever is getting increasingly valuable. The Nationals do not really have a pitcher like that, or at least one that is good.

Guys like Shinnosuke Ogasawara and Andry Lara just leaked runs in a long man role once Brad Lord moved to the rotation. If Lord stays in the rotation, they will need a long man. There are two guys who intrigue me for this role, Jakob Junis and Steven Matz.

Jakob Junis this season:

66.2 IP
2.97 ERA
1.23 WHIP
4-1

Should the Guardians bring Junis back next season? #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/nIZoYv7euI

— SleeperGuardians (@SleeperGuards) October 4, 2025

Jakob Junis is not the biggest name, but he has been a steady relief arm the past three seasons. Each year he has produced a sub-4 ERA and tossed at least 66 innings. He is not the flashiest option, but he gets the job done.

As a former starter, he is capable of going multiple innings, but can also be serviceable as a leverage arm. His main weapons are a wipeout slider to righties and a great changeup to lefties. However, his fastball is not very good so he has to hide it with sequencing.

Junis is not a super high upside arm, but due to his command and secondary pitches, he has a high floor. Right now, that is exactly what the Nats need. Steven Matz is another example of a command first multi-inning relief arm they could look at. He had a very good season and walked less than 4% of hitters. Matz also has plenty of starting experience.

So what are the lessons from this bullpen disaster? For me the biggest lesson is that you need to have a higher floor in the bullpen. Relievers are inherently volatile, but there are still safer ones. After last season, the Nats just need to find a way back to respectability. That would be a step in the right direction.

Getting steady, strike-throwing arms would be a good way to get the bullpen to middle of the pack. That is all I am asking for in 2026. As time goes on and Toboni brings his vision of a player development monster to light, the farm should be churning out arms. For now though, the Nats just need to find guys to raise the floor.

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/general/86886/how-washington-nationals-can-improve-bullpen-2026

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: Jose A Ferrer showed promise in what was an uneven season

It was an interesting season for Jose A. Ferrer. On one hand, he showed all of the interesting traits that make him an exciting young reliever. However, 2025 did not prove to be the breakout season many expected from Ferrer. He showed flashes, but was unable to put it all together this year.

#Nationals Jose A. Ferrer, 24, is a slam-dunk breakout candidate.

Both FAs avg. 98 mph w/ above avg. zone rates and has two whiff secondaries.

Stock-slot pronator.

RP so small sample sizes.

Usage changes:
– increase FF/CH v. RHBs
– increase SL v. LHBs

FF whiff v. RHB: pic.twitter.com/a0NbwzgpvL

— Remi Bunikiewicz (@RBunikiewicz) January 6, 2025

When you watch Ferrer pitch, it is easy to get excited. The ball just explodes out of his hand and he throws gas from the left side. His fastball gets into the triple digits and has a ton of movement, even at that high velocity. In fact, Ferrer’s sinker gets 2.7 more inches of tail compared to the average sinker. It is a true bowling ball sinker and he leans on the pitch heavily.

Ferrer throws his sinker, which averages about 98 MPH over 70% of the time. Going into next season, I am interested to see if that usage comes down. At times, Ferrer can be too predictable. Despite having nasty life, batters hit over .300 against Ferrer’s sinker. His sinker is designed to get ground balls and with the Nats poor infield defense, a lot of those ground balls found holes.

It is not like Ferrer does not have good secondary pitches. His changeup is a really good pitch that mirrors the sinker well before falling off the table. The pitch had an excellent 47% whiff rate this season. Look for Ferrer to lean on that pitch more next season, especially to right handed hitters.

The time seems to be now for Jose A. Ferrer (0.2IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K) of the @Nationals. The hard throwing LHP spun a great changeup – winning our RP Pitch of the Day pic.twitter.com/td5BDXJymK

— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) April 7, 2025

Ferrer will also show the occasional slider to left handed hitters. He only threw it 7.5% of the time, but it got elite results. Batters hit just .105 against the pitch and whiffed over half the time. Against lefties, he threw the heater almost 80% of the time. Next season, he should be throwing that slider more to lefties.

Despite these elite tools, Ferrer’s ERA was 4.48 this season. However, his underlying numbers were much better. Ferrer’s FIP was 3.03, his xFIP was 3.09 and his xERA was 3.57. I would expect a positive regression from Ferrer, much like we saw from Robert Garcia in Texas this year. He can fundamentally be the same pitcher as this year and have much better results in 2026.

It is worth noting that Ferrer got off to a very poor start this season. After a May 6th blowup, Ferrer’s ERA was at a sky high 8.05. He looked like another disappointment in a bullpen that was full of them. After that, Ferrer went on a great run until mid-September when he ran out of gas. At one point, he got that ERA under 4 and was a reliable closer for the Nats.

It is no surprise that he ran out of gas. He was used heavily in a Nats bullpen that was light on reliable options. Ferrer made 72 appearances and pitched 76.1 innings this season.

Ferrer compiled 11 saves and 21 holds for the Nats. When he got going, he was a very good reliever for the Nats. He has a rare collection of abilities. Ferrer is elite at generating ground balls, with a 64.3 GB%. However, he also has very good control, walking less than 5% of hitters.

At times, I think Ferrer’s strike-throwing can be slightly detrimental. He is in the zone a lot, but is not necessarily hitting corners. Hitters should not be batting .276 against a guy with his stuff. The control is very good, but I think Ferrer needs to work on his command.

While we did not get a true breakout in 2025, I still have a ton of belief in Ferrer. A 2026 breakout feels very possible. His underlying numbers were very good this year and I think he can make a few tweaks to get even better. If he mixes in more off-speed, I think Ferrer can be lethal.

The sinker is obviously Ferrer’s primary pitch, but he should probably be throwing it closer to 55% of the time rather than 70% of the time. That leaves more room for his changeup and slider which are nasty.

This is an interesting season to grade for Ferrer. He was very promising but did not put it all together. A 4.48 ERA is uninspiring, but it does not tell the whole story. That ERA holds back his grade, but you also have to look at the context. For what it is worth, I think Ferrer’s grade will be a lot higher in 2o26.

Season Grade: B-

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...jose-a-ferrer-showed-promise-in-uneven-season

 

[Washington Nationals]

Paul Toboni using his Boston Red Sox connections as Washington Nationals POBO

For his first couple of hires, Paul Toboni has been leaning on people he knows. His first hire was Devin Pearson, the Red Sox scouting director he had a ton of history with. Now, it was reported that he has brought Red Sox field coordinator Andrew Wright with him. Wright will be part of the front office in DC.

According to multiple major league sources, Red Sox field coordinator Andrew Wright is leaving the team to join the front office of the Nationals. https://t.co/bIY1g4d6ZD

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) October 17, 2025

Toboni bringing people he knows with him is unsurprising. It is something a lot of people do when they are in this kind of position. You know what you are getting when you hire people you know. Paul Toboni has a big job ahead of him, so he needs people he can rely on. Pearson and Wright will do that.

Andrew Wright has an impressive background, so it is easy to see why Toboni brought him along. As field coordinator, Wright was responsible for setting the standard for player development. He was involved with giving coaches plans they could follow through on.

Interestingly, Wright also has a lot of experience in the Dominican Republic. Before joining the Red Sox, he was the Director of Baseball Operations in the Dominican for the New York Yankees. I wonder if Wright will go back to doing work in the Dominican, or have a role more similar to what he did in Boston.

Andrew Wright also was the head baseball coach at the University of Charleston from 2015 to 2019 before joining the Yankees. He brings a very unique skill set including that he speaks Spanish.

He played collegiately at Concord University from 2000-2002. He went on to get his… https://t.co/3x7LucaTtg

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) October 17, 2025

Wright is probably not the last Red Sox employee to come to DC. All of this makes me wonder how heavily Toboni will lean on his Boston connections not only for the staff, but also with players. I would not be surprised if he signed a former Red Sox player or two.

A couple interesting, under the radar names for me are Dustin May and Danny Jansen. Both are free agents this winter and were acquired by the Red Sox while Toboni was there. Clearly these are two players people in that organization coveted and would fill needs for the Nats.

We talked about May a little while ago when discussing under the radar free agent starters. The 28 year old has shown nasty stuff, but has never been able to put it together due to injuries and inconsistency. He would be an interesting guy for the Nats to bet on. It would be like what they did with Michael Soroka last offseason, and that experiment ended up being fairly successful.

The other interesting name is Danny Jansen. He was traded to Boston in 2024, but was only there for half a season. We have talked about how dire the Nationals catching situation is. Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams just did not get the job done for the Nats in 2025.

Even if he is not elite, Danny Jansen would be a major upgrade on both of those guys. He is a patient hitter with solid power. That is why he posted a respectable .720 OPS despite a .215 batting average. Jansen walked 12.5% of the time and homered 14 times.

Danny Jansen Is Having A Fantastic Spring

He Doubles Off DJ Herz pic.twitter.com/HtFaA4YxHj

— Running From The OPS (@OPS_BASEBALL) March 13, 2025

Defensively, Jansen is a mixed bag. His framing has not been very good the past couple years. However, with the challenge system, framing will not be quite as important. Jansen also struggles controlling the running game.

However, he might be the best blocking catcher in all of baseball. That is something the Nationals have not had in a long time. In 2024 and 2025, Jansen posted an elite 14 blocks above average. That is a very important skill, especially for a Nats pitching staff that can be wild.

May and Jansen coming to DC is far from a guarantee, but they are worth watching. It is also worth looking at the Red Sox staff for potential managerial candidates. The manager search has been very quiet, but that will not be the case for long. Guys like Ramon Vazquez and Jason Varitek could be guys to watch.

So far, it seems like Paul Toboni is sticking close to his Red Sox roots. This will be a trend worth monitoring in the offseason. Will Toboni continue to lean on his past or does he just want a core group in place before making his next moves?

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/was...red-sox-connections-washington-nationals-pobo

 

[Washington Nationals]

Nationals Grades: Jake Irvin had a disappointing follow up to a promising 2024 season

The 2025 season was a disaster for Jake Irvin pretty much from start to finish. Really, Irvin has not been the same guy since that insane July 4th start against the Mets in 2024. He showed so much promise in the first half of 2024, but has really pitched his way out of the Nationals plans since then.

Jake Irvin was the worst qualified starter in all of baseball this season. His 5.70 ERA was the worst of all qualified pitchers, just edging out teammate Mitchell Parker. Irvin also allowed the most homers in all of baseball and the third most hits. It was an ugly season, but I want to figure out what happened to the guy who looked like a big piece of the Nats future plans after that electric July 4th start last year.

Jake Irvin's 8th K…and is FIRED Up. pic.twitter.com/I1FtI8SwwI

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 4, 2024

A big component of Irvin’s downfall is his drop in velocity. In the modern MLB, every tick of velocity is so important. Last season, Irvin averaged 93.9 MPH on his 4-seamer and 93.3 MPH on his sinker. Nothing overpowering, but enough to keep hitters honest. Early in 2024, Irvin was averaging over 94 on his 4-seamer, but that velocity dropped half a tick or so as the season went on.

With this in mind, Irvin coming out throwing in the low-90’s during Spring Training made me nervous. It is only Spring Training, but that drop in velo made me nervous heading into the season. That lack of velocity would continue to start the regular season. This season, Irvin averaged 92.4 MPH on his 4-seam and 91.9 MPH on his sinker.

However, Irvin was making it work for the first couple months of the season. At the end of May, his ERA was actually under 4. As we got deeper into the season though, the wheels would really fall off for him. Watching his starts became a chore and his ERA ballooned.

Pretty wild how Jake Irvin from serviceable and a reliable back-end guy in 2024 to potentially playing himself out of the organization in 2025.

Always liked Jake, but it is absolutely miserable watching this version of him every 5th day. Yikes…

— Bennett Lehmann (@DCBerk) September 5, 2025

Irvin was mediocre in the first half, with a 4.58 ERA. The results were not horrible, but he looked unconvincing. A lot of his ERA indicators suggested he was lucky to even have those kinds of numbers. There were red flags everywhere.

Then things truly went off the rails in the second half. Irvin posted a 7.73 ERA in 13 second half starts. You just assumed he would get rocked every time he started and those assumptions were usually right.

This offseason, Irvin is hitting arbitration for the first time. He is projected to make $3.3 million. Based on how he has performed the last 18 months, it is unclear if he is even worth that. Sure, he has logged at least 180 innings the past two seasons, but those innings have been ugly lately.

The MLBTR arb projections are out. The Nationals come in at about $26M (assuming they non-tender Alfaro). My first reaction: I'm not 100% sure they want Jake Irvin at that number. pic.twitter.com/8EXJtsU3sl

— Andrew Flax (@ajflax) October 6, 2025

With Josiah Gray coming back, Jake Bennett marching towards the MLB and potential free agents coming in, does Irvin have a spot on this team? I am not so sure at this point. He turns 29 soon, so there is not much more room for growth. Unless he gets the velocity back, I do not see a path for Irvin to be a viable starter.

It has been a really ugly fall from grace for a guy I really liked last year. To make things even worse, none of the underlying numbers suggest anything will get better. His xERA and FIP were both around his 5.70 ERA.

Paul Toboni has a choice to make here with Irvin. Will he tender the right hander and if he does, how will he use him. Could Irvin throw harder in shorter spurts? I think it is possible because he often starts games throwing 94-96 before throwing in the low 90’s and even upper 80’s as he gets deeper in the game.

This season was an unmitigated disaster for Irvin. He went from a nice piece of the rotation and a fan favorite to a guy who might get non-tendered. Stories like this are why pitchers go to such lengths to add velocity. It makes you a lot better, and Irvin’s fall off is all the evidence you need.

Season Grade: F

Source: https://www.federalbaseball.com/gen...disappointing-follow-up-promising-2024-season