Washington Nationals
Hitter’s Meetings with the Nats and How to Get Better!
The Washington Nationals completely modernized their hitting department by hiring a young, data-driven staff consisting of Matt Borgschulte, Andrew Aydt, and Shawn O’Malley. This progressive trio combines Borgschulte’s “ Own the Zone” strategic approach, Aydt’s advanced biomechanical expertise utilizing cutting-edge technology, and O’Malley’s practical major league experience to optimize the team’s offense. With all the changes in the front office and coaching staff, there was little change to the roster, other than the bullpen and the starting rotation. Curtis Mead, Jorbit Vivas, and Joey Wiemer were the only changes to the position roster to start the season. The Nats essentially kept the majority of the position players from the previous team and did exactly what they promised that they would get an “extra gear” out of each player. That was the company line from President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, when he was hired and then echoed by his manager, Blake Butera. Again, the “extra gear” statement sounded gimmicky and BS. You hear it all the time in sports with little tangible proof of achieving the goal. But it absolutely worked with the Nationals’ offense. Coaching mattered. Execution mattered. The analytics mattered. The technology mattered. This is the blueprint. The key going forward is evolving and improving. Now we have the final numbers from the 2026 season, and it’s impressive when you look at the returning full-time players of which there were seven of them in the lineup. OPS increases for the seven players: Dylan Crews (+5.1%), James Wood (+8.0%)…
The 2019 World Series Nats proved that it takes a village!
What if Michael A. Taylor ‘s hit-by-pitch in the 8th inning of the 2019 Wild Card game was overturned on the video evidence? What if Ryan Zimmerman ‘s broken bat blooper was caught by Lorenzo Cain in center field. Cain was playing on a sore leg. What if Josh Hader ‘s 3-2 pitch to Anthony Rendon was ruled strike-3 instead of ball-4? The pitch was high and fortunately the ump called it correctly as a walk. There was no ABS video replay in those days to overturn calls. All of that happened to load the bases with two outs in the 2019 Wild Card in a game that the Washington Nationals trailed by a score of 3-1 at the time in the 8th inning. History says that all of the tumblers clicked into place which was essential in a game that relies on some luck, and all of the “what ifs” went the Nats way before the then 20-year-old Juan Soto stroked a single into right field that we all know veered slightly off course with that element of luck that former manager Dave Martinez called a “tricky bounce.” Call it what you want, the Nats won on Soto’s bases clearing single plus an error on the right fielder to score three runs. The Nats took a 4-3 lead and won with that exact score. Every step of the way in competitive games of skill there can be that one instant that changes everything. In the Nats Wild Card game…
12-Days to November
The offseason officially begins in less than two weeks for baseball. There is no movement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and most expect that there will be a work stoppage due to an expiring CBA to start at midnight on December 2ⁿᵈ. Before that date, there is a lot of work to get done. While the Washington Nationals are already in their offseason with 27 other teams, as the Cleveland Guardians were eliminated an hour ago from the postseason, that leaves just Tampa and Milwaukee as the final two teams standing. There will most likely be a flurry of activity for free agents after teams declare their players protected by Qualifying Offers (Q.O.) set this year for $23.15 million. That is a record salary and an increase of 5.1 percent from last year. The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 MLB player contracts this year. A Q.O. can be made through the 5ᵗʰ day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept. Teams that sign Q.O.’d free agents are subject to penalties that begin with forfeited draft picks and international free agent money. For the Nats, signing a Q.O. player would cost them to forfeit their 2ⁿᵈ-highest draft pick + $500,000 in international bonus pool money. We would doubt the Nationals will be signing Q.O. free agents this year. The free agent market just is not that deep this year. You have starting pitcher, Tarik Skubal, at the…
The “Bullpen Factory” Blueprint: Why the Rays, Brewers, and Red Sox Offer a Roadmap (and Hope) for the Nationals
For Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera and the fanbase alike, a call to the bullpen became an immediate cue to reach for the antacids and/or the bourbon. The team just wrapped up a 2026 regular season that was defined by a polarizing paradox. On one hand, their young offense took immense leaps, and their player development pipeline reached its healthiest state in over a decade. On the other hand, the team’s postseason aspirations suffered a slow death in the late innings, with a bullpen that coughed up a mind-boggling 42 blown saves that led directly to 24 losses. If half of those losses were wins as President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni said, his team would have made the postseason with 89 wins. Again, we know and say it all the time, shoulda woulda, coulda. The team leader in blown saves was Clayton Beeter (7) followed by Mitchell Parker (5), Tom Cosgrove (3), Richard Lovelady (3), Orlando Ribalta (3), Erik Tolman (3), Yovanny Cruz (2), Cole Henry (2), Brad Lord (2), PJ Poulin (2), Gus Varland (2), Riley Cornelio (2), Will Dion (2), Max Kranick (1), Matt Krook (1), Paxton Schultz (1), and Ken Waldichuk (1). That is 17 relievers who made that list, and of those 17, only a few will make the Opening Day roster. Again, blown saves happen. ❝[The bullpen] hasn’t turned out exactly how we like — stating the obvious there. We’ve been pretty aggressive on flipping it over, to give more and more guys chances…
Thinking Outside of the Box on a Lefty Hitting Free Agent
There are few clear fits for the Washington Nationals need to add a left-handed hitting first baseman. We’ve been talking about Jake Bauers for weeks before his postseason heroics as a nice fit. One name we didn’t mention is Luis Arráez, 29, as a potential free agent. Seen as a highly specialized, one-dimensional profile, clashes with the team’s current roster construction and long-term needs — but the Nats could use him as a short-term fix. While adding a multi-time batting champion with an elite bat-to-ball skill set is an intriguing and an “outside-the-box” thought experiment, a deeper look reveals more about this player. Why the Nats Might Consider It (The Pros) Elite Contact & Low Strikeouts: Arráez possesses the lowest strikeout rate in baseball and a proven ability to put the ball in play. He would provide a reliable on-base presence for a young Nats lineup that can occasionally struggle with consistency. Veteran Leadership: On a young, rebuilding team, his veteran presence and unique offensive approach could serve as an excellent model for developing prospects. Why It Doesn’t Work (The Cons) Defensive Position: Arráez has expressed a strong preference to play second base. However, the Nats already have CJ Abrams who appears to be the second baseman going forward. Shifting Arráez to first base is a need the Nats have for a lefty batting first baseman and there will be days that Abrams will play shortstop, and Arráez could play second base. Severe Lack of Power: Traditional first basemen and…
A Moneyball World Series proves that money isn’t everything!
Many have been conditioned to hearing that the Washington Nationals seven consecutive losing seasons (2020-2026) were based on not spending enough on player payroll. That certainly wasn’t the case in 2020 or even 2021 when the Nationals were still a Top-10 spender to start each season. A lack of spending could have been the case in 2026 if you want to conveniently use hindsight. The Nats were supposed to be in another rebuild in 2026. It turned out that they were actually in contention for more than half the season. Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda. Fact is, the Nats were terrible and aged out in 2021 and began their rebuild in July 2021. The Los Viejos just got too old; Patrick Corbin stopped being good, and Stephen Strasburg was paid $35 million a year for seven years through this 2026 season while he was injured for all but six partial games of what should have been at least 210 games. Combined through most of those losing years, the Nats were wasting nearly $60 million a year on Strasburg and Corbin that was not spent on high-producing players. Again, tough luck. The Nats won a World Series with that duo, and then spent the following years watching consistent losing. Add to that, the coaching was suspect, the farm system was poor, and the technology was not upgraded. That was then and this is now. Before this year, the Nats were still operating like they were using an outdated philosophy on building a roster…
Inside the Owner’s Box Came with a Snub!
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday night, The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. hosted a high-profile panel titled “ Inside the Owner’s Box,” but Mark Lerner, the principal owner of the Washington Nationals, was noticeably not invited per a source. The name of the event comes from David Rubenstein’s book, “ Inside the Owner’s Box” that was recently published. Rubenstein appeared on the event panel (he is both the chairman of the Economic Club as well as the owner of the regional rival Baltimore Orioles), specifically brought together with four major Washington, D.C. sports franchise owners. While the majority owner of D.C.’s Major League Baseball team, the Lerner family, was left off the guest list, the panel featured several other prominent local sports owners: Josh Harris: Washington Commanders (NFL) Ted Leonsis: Washington Capitals (NHL), Wizards (NBA), and Mystics (WNBA) Michele Kang: Washington Spirit (NWSL) Mark Ein: Washington Kastles (World Team Tennis) In addition to being the principal owner of the Nationals, the Lerner family also holds a minority stake in Leonsis’s Monumental Sports & Entertainment, making Lerner’s exclusion from the city’s sports owner lineup even more conspicuous. Prior to purchasing the Orioles, Rubenstein joined Leonsis, reportedly in advanced talks, to purchase the Washington Nationals from the Lerner family. The deal failed to cross the finish line, and Rubenstein pivoted to a purchase of the Baltimore Orioles in a deal that closed in 2024 for $1.725 billion. This year, the Orioles grew their payroll to a team record of $166.7 million. The…
NL East Should be Opening Up!
The NL East has three teams that could be aging out, and they all have poor farm systems. The Washington Nationals are aging in as the youngest team in baseball, and they have an excellent farm system. Today, Bryce Harper turns 34. Father time is undefeated. Baseball years are kind of like dog years. On this day in 2027, he will be 35. Harper’s OPS is down nearly 18 percent from 2021 and while his numbers are still good, at some point age regression could hit hard. His own team president, Dave Dombrowski, called him ❝ NOT ELITE ❞ in a troubling statement on the day of Harper’s 33ʳᵈ birthday, a year ago. Maybe Dombrowski learned on how to talk to his players as he said he talked to Trea Turner recently and said, “ He did not have a good year. He needs to fix things with his swing. He knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him that is mandatory.” But why the need to publicly discuss private conversations? While Harper is a future Hall of Famer, he has played on some stacked teams that have severely under-achieved in his career with both the Washington Nationals and the Phillies. He will be known for signing with the Phillies in March 2019, and watching the Nats immediately win a World Series less than seven months later — without him. It just goes to show you that talent alone doesn’t win championships nor does the size of…
“The payroll isn’t really the issue. … It’s just the commitment to winning.”
When Nathaniel Lowe speaks, it’s time for me to plug my ears. Heard it before. The same guy who dissed the Uncle Sam home run celebration hat in his brief stint with the Washington Nationals. After he showed his disdain for it, the team stopped doing it. Lowe must be a lot of fun at parties. But he does seem to enjoy winning. “There’s not a competition issue. There’s truly not. If owners wanted to spend, they would, and teams that might not spend the money on a roster still find a way to win. So look at the four [teams still in the MLB playoffs]. It’s not a payroll issue. It’s commitment to winning. And now being on this side of it, having spent time in Tampa, the payroll isn’t really the issue. It’s just the commitment to winning.” — Lowe said to ESPN The problem is the word “commitment” is not measurable. It’s an intangible and subjective. Are you telling me that the Mets weren’t committed to winning with the second largest payroll in baseball? Winning is a combination of factors — and you could say the same about losing. Most believe losing is easier to analyze as to the reasons. Nathaniel Lowe ‘s quote was from a piece in ESPN about competitive balance and spending in MLB. His perspective represents a classic, player-centric defense of MLB’s structural balance for those who oppose any spending cap in baseball, but it highlights a complex tension between financial investment and…
First Base is Once Again a Need
Ever since Ryan Zimmerman officially retired, the Washington Nationals have had a revolving door at first base. The team went with internal candidates for the 2026 season. That worked as Luis Garcia Jr. made a position switch from second base to first base and put up good defensive numbers after about six weeks of full acclimation to the position, and the his offense took off at the same time. From May 9 until the time that Garcia was traded, he was one of the hottest hitters in baseball. The lefty hit.305 and slugged.659 with a.996 OPS in that 70 game span. When Garcia was traded, his lefty bat was replaced internally by Abimelec Ortiz. But Ortiz after a scorching first two weeks after his MLB debut just forgot how to hit. For his final 30 games, it was painful to watch. He hit.136 with a.371 OPS with no power. The team was also giving him almost all at-bats against right-handed pitching and pulling him for pinch-hitters late in games against lefty pitching. The good news is that both Yohandy Morales and Andres Chaparro were hitting well from the right-side as first baseman. However, the Nats like platoon matchups whereby they started Ortiz against right-handers, and Chaparro and/or Morales against lefty pitchers. As the Washington Nationals look ahead to the 2027 season, the front office faces an intriguing puzzle at the cold corner. First base and the designated hitter spot have become a revolving door for years. While the second half…
Toboni Hints on the Bullpen; Could Need a Baker Move!
Modern baseball is far different from the days when a starter might pitch both ends of a doubleheader. Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox famously started both games of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 20, 1973, but he couldn’t match the feat of Jack Scott who pitched two complete games on June 19, 1927. These days, and especially in the postseason, the bullpens are asked to cover more and more innings as analytics has changed the strategy in the game. The Washington Nationals did not make the postseason due in large part to their poor bullpen. This offseason, the bullpen will be a major focus of the Nats’ president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni. He got an early start on improving the relievers in the farm system by moves in his first draft and signing undrafted amateur free agents. He then added more relievers at the trade deadline for the farm system and the MLB roster. Toboni specifically targeted acquisitions of relievers. Recently, he said that his strategy isn’t necessarily to go after high leverage closers this offseason. “I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole us into just going after [relief pitchers] that have 9ᵗʰ inning experience. Not to say it’s not important — it’s just that there are countless relievers across the league that aren’t throwing in the 9ᵗʰ inning that are really good arms that we’d love to have.” — Toboni said at the end of the season There are numerous examples of finding set-up…
Best Laid Plans Can Fail
The best laid plans can fail because of all of the variables involved. There are few sure things in life. Anyone who has ever taken a chance or a risk knows that. Some will say that buying quality gives you higher odds of success and that is true — but just look at the past offseason at the many top acquisitions that failed. That is a hefty list there. Injury risk. Age regression risk. Performance risk. Change of scenery risk. Sometimes buying at the top of the market fails. This happens every year, and you do not want to be a team on that list. There were plenty of risky Washington Nationals’ acquisitions in the last offseason that worked like Foster Griffin and Curtis Mead. And some that failed like Zack Littell were part of the best laid plans that did not work. His total package was $9.5 million if he met all of his innings limits. In total, he made $7.3 million. Not bad money for a 5.21 ERA and only pitching 4.76 innings per game. Littell was not only signed as an “innings eater,” but he also had a 3.81 ERA in the 2025 season. He was near the top of our acquisition list also. It. Just. Did. Not. Work. When Littell was signed, he said, “ I’ve always kind of prided myself on just being a guy that goes out there and throws innings quietly. … I just want to eat innings and people to look up…