Nationals Roster Decisions With Top Prospects Should Be Easy To Make This Offseason

The Washington Nationals' next regime is going to have its work cut out for it to get the franchise back on track.

Since winning the World Series in 2019, the Nationals have been mired in an ugly rebuild. There aren’t any players remaining from that championship roster. The last remnants of that team, general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez, were fired in July as well.

With the on-field product worsening, the firings were warranted. The timing of the decision was awkward, being done right befor e the 2025 MLB draft and MLB trade deadline. But it was likely the right move to get some new decision-makers into the organization.

Replenishing the farm system will be one of the main goals of whoever is running the front office next. Despite the team’s ineptitude on the field, they don’t have the strongest group of prospects to build a future around. At least, of the homegrown variety.

Their three best building blocks at the Major League level right now are left fielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and ace MacKenzie Gore. All three of them were acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster deal. Washington desperately needs some of their own products to develop and reach that All-Star level of production that trio already has.

There is still hope for someone such as right fielder Dylan Crews and starting pitcher Cade Cavalli to develop into foundational pieces. The team can also hope that other prospects acquired in trades can similarly elevate their performance to Wood, Abrams and Gore. Two prospects to keep an eye on in that regard, who are currently outside the top 10 of the organization, are outfielder Christian Franklin and left-handed pitcher Jake Bennett.

Nationals Need To Add Christian Franklin, Jake Bennett to 40-Man Roster