| 2026 Washington Nationals | |
|---|---|
| | |
| League | National League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Nationals Park |
| City | Washington, D.C. |
| Owners | Lerner Enterprises |
| President of baseball operations | Paul Toboni |
| General manager | Anirudh Kilambi |
| Manager | Blake Butera |
| Television | MASN |
| Radio | 106.7 The Fan Washington Nationals Radio Network |
The 2026 Washington Nationals season will be the Nationals' 22nd season as the Major League Baseball franchise in the District of Columbia, the 19th season at Nationals Park, and the 58th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
This will be the first season under new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, new general manager Anirudh Kilambi, and new manager Blake Butera.
The Nationals finished out the 2025 season under interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, after dismissing president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez in July. [1]
Within days of their season ending with a 66–96 record, good for last place in the National League East Division, the Nationals announced the hiring of 35-year-old Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their new president of baseball operations, [2] with DeBartolo remaining with the organization as an assistant general manager and senior vice president. [3] [4] Several other members of the front office, including longtime assistant general managers Eddie Longosz and Mark Scialabba, were not retained. [5] Toboni made several key additions to his leadership team, including Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Anirudh Kilambi as general manager, [6] former colleague and Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson [7] and Pittsburgh Pirates scouting director Justin Horowitz as assistant general managers, [8] and Red Sox field coordinator Andrew Wright as his special assistant. [4]
The 2025 Nationals coaching staff's contracts expired after the end of the World Series. [9]
While Washington was linked in media reports to 2025 interim manager Miguel Cairo, former Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson, Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, and Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, [10] Toboni's choice for the new manager of the Nationals was a surprise: 33-year-old Blake Butera, the Tampa Bay Rays senior director of player development and two-time Carolina League Manager of the Year. [11] Upon their hiring, both Butera and Toboni were the youngest people in Major League Baseball to hold their positions, respectively as team manager and top executive. [12]
As Butera's 13-man coaching staff came together, [13] Washington retained just one holdover from its 2024–25 coaches: former Nationals closer Sean Doolittle, who was given the position of assistant pitching coach after two seasons as a pitching strategist. [14] The average age of the coaching staff dropped from 51 in 2025 to about 36, as The Washington Post reported, with several of Butera's coaches still in their 20s and 30s. Many of the new coaches came to the Nationals from backgrounds in player development—such as minor league and winter league manager Víctor Estévez, hired as third base/infield coach, and Indiana University pitching coach Dustin Glant, joining Doolittle as an assistant pitching coach. [15]
More than a dozen minor league coaches and player development staff members were dismissed early in the offseason. [16] Among other areas of the Nationals organization, Toboni moved to overhaul the player development side, staffing it with hitting and pitching coordinators for the lower and higher minor league levels, under directors to provide a cohesive approach up and down the minor league system. [17] [18]
The Nationals hired away minor league pitching coordinator Grayson Crawford from the division-rival New York Mets to be their new director of pitching. [19] They hired C. J. Gillman, previously a minor league hitting coordinator with the Seattle Mariners, [20] as their director of hitting. [17]
Washington also invested in more technology and training equipment, one of the major offseason priorities for Toboni and Pearson, to enhance player development. [18]
The Nationals removed several players from the roster before the end of the 2025 World Series: relievers Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Eduardo Salazar, and Mason Thompson and catchers Jorge Alfaro and C. J. Stubbs. [21] Reliever Derek Law, first baseman Josh Bell, and third baseman Paul DeJong became free agents as their contracts expired. [22] Relievers Zach Brzykcy and Ryan Loutos and infielder Trey Lipscomb were also trimmed from the roster days later. [23] Washington tendered new contracts to starting pitchers Cade Cavalli, MacKenzie Gore, Josiah Gray, and Jake Irvin and to infielders CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr., who were each eligible for arbitration. They agreed to terms with catcher Riley Adams on a one-year contract ahead of the non-tender deadline. [24]
The team protected three prospects eligible for the Rule 5 draft by adding them to the roster: pitchers Jake Bennett and Riley Cornelio and outfielder Christian Franklin. [25] The Nationals were active in the Rule 5 draft themselves, selecting Philadelphia pitching prospect Griff McGarry to the major league roster. [26]
Toboni executed his first trade at the helm of the Nationals on December 6, 2025, sending closer José A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners for prospects Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon. [27] He then traded Bennett to the Red Sox for another pitching prospect, Luis Perales. [28] Toboni also publicly acknowledged the Nationals were listening to offers for other players with multiple years of team control, with trade speculation focusing mainly on Gore and Abrams. [29]
The Nationals announced their first major league free agent signing under Toboni on December 22, 2025, signing starting pitcher Foster Griffin for a reported $5.5 million after Griffin spent three seasons overseas, pitching for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. [30]
| Legend | |
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| Nationals win | |
| Nationals loss | |
| Postponement | |
| Bold | Nationals team member |
| 2026 Game Log: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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March/April: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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May: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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June: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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July: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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August: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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September: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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