Nationals Banking on Front Office Improvements to Boost Their Pitching Staff
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Improving the pitching staff needs to be priority No. 1 for the Washington Nationals this offseason.
Putting together a better starting rotation and bullpen must happen if this team is ever going to become a contender again, let alone compete for a playoff spot in 2027 like the organization is planning on doing.
But how they go about achieving the goal of upgrading their pitching staff isn't clear, especially with information coming out that spending for high-priced relievers is almost assuredly off the table. However, the Nationals are confident that improvements can be made from what they do in the front office, as Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic gave a comprehensive look into what president of Paul Toboni has planned for this organization.
Nationals Add New Front Office Member by Hiring John Morris
Washington hired John Morris away from the New York Yankees.
The Yankees' assistant director of quantitative analysis is now the vice president of baseball research with the Nationals. Per Nusbaum, Morris will help expand the team's analytics department while also working on the team's extensive pitching model that is in a crucial developmental phase. Morris was the second notable hire made by Washington this offseason, as David Besky was poached from his director of baseball sciences role with the Boston Red Sox to become a pitching strategist with the Nationals.
Those two organizational moves signal that things are continuing to evolve under the leadership of Toboni when it comes to embracing the technological side of things. And by bringing in more sharp people who are involved in that space, Washington believes that will give them a boost when it comes to bolstering their pitching staff in the immediate and long-term future.
Nationals Planning to Expand Scouting Department
Nusbaum also reported that the Nationals are planning to expand their scouting department, as the insider stated, "Washington also plans to hire at least two in-person pro scouts."
This comes after that department was slashed when Toboni was hired, which was not surprising since the first-year executive wanted to bring in his own guys to reshape the organization under his vision. Because of that, things were underdeveloped in 2026 compared to where they would prefer them to be. But after a full season of evaluations across the board -- within the baseball operations department and on the field -- Toboni will be able to further put his imprint on this franchise.
That should help with offseason and in-season acquisitions, which have been issues for this team. Nusbaum highlighted that Washington made 21 pitching additions either via waiver claims, minor-league deals or cash-for-player trades since Toboni took over. None of them are expected to make the 2027 Opening Day roster.
Having a better understanding of what the Nationals are looking for in a pitcher will help. But having more manpower to see all their options is key, as well. By adding two more scouts to the mix, that should be the case going forward.
How immediate the improvements take place will be determined at a later date. But at the very least, fans should expect to see some progress next year as Washington continues to augment things on the baseball operations side of things.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai