Praising the Nationals’ Fantastic Offseason (So Far)

The right-hander flashes a fastball, curveball, and splitter in his repertoire, which gave opponents fits in 2024. It just goes to show how advanced player development’s become in professional baseball, as he posted a 7.11 ERA in 74.2 innings his Junior year at the University of Miami.

Improved Organizational Depth on the Mound

In addition to Rosario, Washington added more talent to its contingent of young pitchers.

One of its best moves this winter flew somewhat under the radar in an MLB offseason full of blockbusters. On Dec. 15, the Nationals dealt left-handed pitching prospect Jake Bennett to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitching prospect Luis Perales.

On the surface, a prospect-for-prospect deal doesn’t catch a lot of eyes. But beneath it, it’s hard not to love this move for Washington. Bennett is crafty, and a big-bodied left-hander with advanced feel for his secondaries gives him a relatively high floor. For Boston, that’s incredibly attractive for a 40-man roster spot. For the Nationals, the triple-digit heater Perales brings, with top 100 pedigree, is super exciting.

They also went out and signed left-hander Foster Griffin. While the 30-year-old has just eight innings in his MLB career, he’s coming off three consecutive great years in the NPB. In 78 innings last year, he had a 1.62 ERA, making him one of the most exciting free agents on the international market this offseason.

Even though they flipped Gore to the Texas Rangers, they’ve reset the service time clock with a former blue-chip prospect in Perales; added Foster on the cheap to offer guidance to an otherwise young staff.

Added a Top Catching Prospect

This offseason showcased the value of quality left-handed relief. The team that found that fact out first was the Nationals when they traded Jose A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners for catching prospect Harry Ford.

Ford had a cup of coffee with the Mariners last season, getting eight plate appearances and going 1-for-6 with a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly. Though he’s much shorter in stature than a typical catcher, don’t mistake his physique for being incapable. Especially at the dish, the near 23-year-old flashed elite plate discipline in Triple-A.

He ranked in the 95th percentile for chase rate, 90th percentile for walk rate, and 85th percentile for expected wOBA. It’s tough to know for certain if he’s truly elite at avoiding chase or just has a reluctance to swing a bat — 15th percentile swing rate. However, when he swings, he often does damage.

With Keibert Ruiz leaving plenty to be desired since coming over from the Dodgers, adding Ford applies some pressure. At worst, they have a potential high-quality replacement in Ford; at best, Ruiz breaks out and the new Nationals catching prospect gives them a great young catching tandem for several years.

Opened Door to Playing Time for Young Lineup

According to FanGraphs, the oldest player in the projected Opening Day lineup for Washington is Ruiz, at 27.5 years old. The oldest position player on the roster is 28-year-old backup catcher Drew Millas.

It’s an exceptionally young lineup, one full of talent. Anchored by Wood, who didn’t break out quite as hoped in 2025, but still improved on an impressive rookie campaign.

The Nationals have a very talented outfield, which is good since Wood posted -7 Outs Above Average last season. Additionally, Daylen Lile posted -14 Defensive Runs Saved and -8 OAA in 624.1 innings. However, he posted a 132 wRC+ across 91 big-league games, highlighted by a 230 mark in 100 September plate appearances.

While Wood and Lile are offense over defense, former top prospect Dylan Crews is a strong outfield defender with some cause for optimism his offense will improve. Last year, he underperformed expected data, especially against secondaries.

He went second overall in 2023 for a reason, so there’s a lot of talent in the righty bat. He’s among five Nationals young position players projected at least 1.4 fWAR in 2026.

Roster Construction Reflects State of NL East

Anything short of an uncharacteristically massive offseason, there wasn’t much the Nationals could do to narrow the gap between them and the rest of the pack.

The Philadelphia Phillies, at worst, remained status quo, a playoff team. The New York Mets have been super busy, adding Luis Robert Jr., Freddy Peralta, and Devin Williams, to name a few. The Atlanta Braves, though a rather quiet winter aside from signing reliever Robert Suarez, have an incredibly talented roster when healthy.

Even the Miami Marlins emerged as an exciting team in the second half last year, with one of the best pitching staffs in baseball.

The Nationals hitting the rest button coincides beautifully with the contention windows of the teams ahead of them. By the time they’re ready to significantly add externally, coupled with internal development, the teams ahead of them will have gotten older.

If Washington’s able to further reset the organization through a trade of Abrams, which it’s reportedly open to, that’ll only further emphasize that point. They’re young, getting younger, and that’s the smart move for an organization far from contention in 2026.