Latest news and updates about the Nationals
The Washington Nationals are highly unlikely to make the playoffs in 2026. Paul Toboni knows that and so do Nationals fans. Even finishing above .500 feels like a pipe dream. However, that does not mean the Nats season is destined for failure. We are just going to have to look at things beyond the win/loss […]
From Federal Baseball | 1 day ago | 0 reads
Last night, the World Baseball Classic rosters were released. Seeing that got me really fired up, especially considering how much fun the last one was. There are current and former Nationals players and coaches littered across the rosters. I wanted to take a look at some of the Nats ties to this amazing event. The […]
From Federal Baseball | 3 days ago | 0 reads
Yesterday, I released my preseason top 30 Washington Nationals prospects, which you can find here. The driving focus of my rankings was a combination of prospects’ performances so far in their careers, their underlying numbers for those performances, and the tools they have, which could lead to future success. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways […]
From Federal Baseball | 3 days ago | 0 reads
Paul Toboni and Ani Kilambi have been doing work on the waiver wire lately. They are churning through players on the fringes of the 40-man roster. Today, they claimed Ken Waldichuk from the Rays and DFA’d George Soriano in the process. Soriano was only claimed last week, but the Nats still decided to move on. […]
From Federal Baseball | 3 days ago | 0 reads
Yesterday, The Washington Post laid off about one third of its newsroom. All departments were affected, but some sections were eliminated entirely. The sports department, which includes beat reporters for the Washington Wizards, Capitals, Mystics, Commanders, Nationals, Spirit, DC United — you get the picture, was eliminated entirely as we know it. If the local […]
From Bullets Forever | 3 days ago | 0 reads
There is one place we have talked about a lot in passing when discussing the Washington Nationals coaching hires. That place is Driveline Baseball. So many of the Nats new coaches have ties to the famed baseball lab. I wanted to do a deeper dive on Driveline and talk about why so many Nats coaches […]
From Federal Baseball | 4 days ago | 1 read
The Washington Post sports department is no more. That really sucks for Nats fans and leaves the Nats coverage in limbo, especially after MASNs dissolution earlier in the year. This begs the question - who is covering the Nationals? I mean REALLY covering them, not covering them like me, giving out free content that's worth the price of admission. I don't know about local TV stations which will presumably continue their usual light coverages of the team and local sports talk which will continu...
From Nationals Baseball | 4 days ago | 0 reads
Spring Training will be a massive opportunity for so many players on this roster. With a new regime coming in, everyone will be evaluated and spots will be up for grabs. There are going to be camp competitions all over this roster. I wanted to break down some of the competitions to watch. We did […]
From Federal Baseball | 5 days ago | 1 read
The Nationals are going to have a number of position battles this spring. Not many spots on the pitching staff are secure, and it is anyone’s guess as to who the first baseman will be. However, the camp battle that intrigues me the most comes at the catching position. Keibert Ruiz has been the full […]
From Federal Baseball | 5 days ago | 2 reads
There are some players that just look the part. Dylan Crews firmly falls into that category. Despite not producing in his first year and change in the MLB, I still have a lot of faith in him. Some of that may be irrational, but Crews just looks like he should be a really good player. […]
From Federal Baseball | 6 days ago | 1 read
It has been expected (by me, at least) ever since Main Street/FanDuel Sports Network (the successor to Diamond/Bally) missed a broadcast rights payment to the Cardinals back in December, and now it’s happening: a whole bunch more clubs are returning their local broadcast rights to Major League Baseball, as had happened previously over the last year+ with the Padres, Diamondbacks, Twins, Rockies, Nationals, and Guardians. Up to eight more teams, formerly having their rights at Diamond/Ball...
From Bleacher Nation | Chicago Sports News, Rumors, and a Reasonable Level of Obsession | 6 days ago | 0 reads
The Nationals figure to have an exciting lineup in 2026, with a combination of proven talent such as James Wood and CJ Abrams, youngsters who have flashed upside such as Daylen Lile and Dylan Crews, and still relatively unknown commodities such as Harry Ford and Brady House. While the lineup will certainly be worth watching […]
From Federal Baseball | 6 days ago | 0 reads
While it lacks the thump it once had when James Wood and Dylan Crews were atop the rankings, the Nationals’ farm system is currently the deepest it has ever been, and certainly in a better spot than where it was this time last year. Opinions on the farm range, as Keith Law of The Athletic […]
From Federal Baseball | 9 days ago | 4 reads
One thing Paul Toboni has made clear is that he values every single spot on the 40-man roster. He is happy to use the waiver wire and uses every spot on the 40-man. It is becoming clear that there will be a lot of churn on the backend of the 40-man roster this year. Yesterday […]
From Federal Baseball | 10 days ago | 1 read
The Washington Nationals just released their 2026 Minor League coaching staff. With Paul Toboni taking the reins, there are naturally a lot of new faces. However, there are also some returning staff members. The staffs are also bigger than they have been in the past, which is an example of Toboni’s focus on player development. […]
From Federal Baseball | 10 days ago | 1 read
In the MacKenzie Gore trade, the Washington Nationals got five pieces in return. They received Gavin Fien, Alejandro Rosario, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Abimelec Ortiz and Yeremy Cabrera. We have talked about the first four prospects, but I thought Yeremy Cabrera was worth discussing too. He may be the 5th piece in the deal, but he is […]
From Federal Baseball | 11 days ago | 1 read
The final infield bat? Up in the air. Free agents? Available. A trade for CJ Abrams? Possible. Maybe? The Washington Nationals did just trade Mackenzie Gore so it’s possible they burn things completely to the ground. Gore, however, did cost the Texas Rangers a king’s ransom of prospects. We are, as of today, January 29, […]
From Over the Monster | 11 days ago | 5 reads
Obviously, the MacKenzie Gore trade is the biggest move the Nationals have made in the past week. However, there have been a few minor moves that you may have missed. I wanted to take a look at some of the news items that have been lost in the shuffle. Between minor league signings and spring […]
From Federal Baseball | 11 days ago | 3 reads
While the Washington Nationals are leaving MASN, the broadcast will be a familiar one. After Bob Carpenter’s retirement, the Nats had to find a new play-by-play voice. They decided to go with an internal option. Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported that Dan Kolko will be taking over play-by-play duties in 2026. Kolko is […]
From Federal Baseball | 12 days ago | 1 read
Even before trading MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 5 prospects, the Nationals’ rotation was looking very subpar entering 2026. Following Gore’s departure, the unit now projects to be 29th in fWAR this season, according to Fangraphs, finishing ahead of only the Colorado Rockies, not great company when talking about pitching. Foster […]
From Federal Baseball | 12 days ago | 2 reads
The other day, MLB Pipeline dropped their new top 100 rankings and it featured four Nationals in the top 80. Out of all the public rankings I have seen, Pipeline is the highest on the Nats prospects. They have Eli Willits at 13th, Travis Sykora at 54th, Harry Ford at 71st and Jarlin Susana at […]
From Federal Baseball | 13 days ago | 3 reads
I do have more to come but you know - snow storm . So for today - what do you expect back for CJ Abrams. They don't HAVE to trade CJ but it seems EXTREMELY unlikely that they will be competitive in the time before he becomes a FA. Are they going to be good enough to convince him to stay? Do you take that chance instead of selling him on a decently high note with a couple years of control left? The way I read the Nats management the answer is no. So what do you want back...
From Nationals Baseball | 14 days ago | 2 reads
Out of the five players the Nats received in the MacKenzie Gore trade, RHP Alejandro Rosario is the most complicated case. He has the highest upside of anyone in the package, but also has the lowest floor. The case of Alejandro Rosario is strange and mysterious, but if things break the right way, the Nationals […]
From Federal Baseball | 14 days ago | 2 reads
A disturbing report came out yesterday that the Washington Post could be shutting down their sports desk. This is not the sort of thing I normally write about, but it is something I could not avoid. Words cannot describe how big of a disaster this would be. As a kid growing up in DC, I […]
From Federal Baseball | 15 days ago | 1 read
Shortly after I wrote about the potential of a CJ Abrams trade, a report came out that the Giants seriously pursued the Nats shortstop, but were unable to reach a deal. The fact that this leaked out right after the Gore trade is very interesting and makes me wonder about the timing. It also makes […]
From Federal Baseball | 15 days ago | 6 reads