News Nationals Team Notes

[Washington Nationals]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

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

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

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

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

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) October 31, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHL @ WSH
June 19, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good morning, Nats Central

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

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

— Kev (@klwoodjr) October 3, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2024

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

An update on Washington Nationals prospects in the Arizona Fall League

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

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

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

Halloween homer!

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Nationals Source (@NationalsSource) October 31, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

— Prospect Savant (@ProspectSavant) October 16, 2025

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

A guide to the offseason calendar for Washington Nationals fans

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

MLB Offseason Dates

11/6 Option decision deadline

11/7 Free agents can sign

11/10-13 GM Meetings

11/18 Qualifying Offer deadline

11/18-20 Owners Meetings

11/21 Non-Tender Deadline

12/4 Draft Lottery

12/8-11 Winter Meetings

12/10 Rule 5 Draft

Keep going for 2026

— M00NL1GHT (@MoonlightMLB) November 2, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

Six years ago the Washington Nationals won the World Series

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

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

What a feeling

We will be back pic.twitter.com/ce5w4arGtH

— Kev (@klwoodjr) October 30, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— MLB Dingers (@dailymlbdingers) July 8, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

Washington Nationals MacKenzie Gore on the top of trade boards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) October 20, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11.3.25 Locked On Nationals is LIVE!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Washington Nationals]

Paul Toboni assigns roles to new Washington Nationals executives

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

Blake Butera is officially the Nats' new manager!

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

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

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

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

New Nats roles from Paul Toboni:

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

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

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

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) November 4, 2025

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

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

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

— natsfanatics (@natsfanatics_) November 4, 2025

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

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

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

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