Nationals Finished 2026 Season on a High Note, Now the Real Work Gets Underway

The Washington Nationals have a huge offseason ahead.

Washington Nationals manager Blake Butera shakes hands with president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Things can change in a hurry across professional sports, and the Washington Nationals and their fans are all too familiar with that being the case.

Seven years ago, it looked like this franchise was set to be a perennial championship contender. They had just won the World Series. They were led by a high-end pitching staff, established veteran players and a rising superstar. But just a couple of seasons later, the decision makers pulled the plug and opted to enter a rebuild.

From there, it has been a long journey back to relevance, and it caused those same decision makers to revaluate who was leading them down that journey. Then-35-year-old Paul Toboni was hired to be the president of baseball operations, who then decided to hire then-33-year-old Blake Butera to be his major league manager.

That resulted in a 2026 campaign that had plenty of ups and plenty of downs. But with the regular season officially over after the Nationals took two out of three from their division rival New York Mets, the most important offseason for Washington in some time is set to get underway.

Time to Sign Free Agents

Miami Marlins pitcher Pete Fairbanks | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nobody is expecting the Nationals push their payroll into the luxury tax threshold, but it is time for Mark Lerner and his ownership group to spend some money again.

Adding established bullpen arms is a must for Washington this winter, and that is going to require the purse strings to be loosened. Toboni and Butera did what they could to maximize the talent they had this year, so after they showed some proof of concept with the success they had on the field, more funds should be made available to them, especially with contracts set to come off the books.

Whether that actually happens or not will be a massive storyline to follow once the offseason gets underway. Lerner has said he's willing to spend when the time is right. He now needs to put his money where his mouth is for the betterment of this franchise.

Who Fits the Long-Term Vision

Washington Nationals players in gray uniforms slapping hands | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The main thing Toboni, Butera and other members of the front office and coaching staff have to figure out this winter is who fits their long-term vision.

Is CJ Abrams really the infielder they want to build around or could they look to move him this offseason for king's ransom similar to what they did with former ace MacKenzie Gore? Do they believe Seaver King is ready to be an impactful player as a rookie in 2027? Did Dylan Crews show enough for them to keep him as an everyday outfielder? How will they set up their corner infield positions? And which version of Daylen Lile are they going to get?

There are a lot of questions to answer, and they won't be able to find a solution to all of them. However, after using the 2026 season as an evaluation period -- for both their MLB roster and across their farm system -- Toboni and co. should have a better idea of who fits into their long-term plan. Some of that vision should be unveiled starting this winter.

Build Upon Momentum

Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Remember earlier how I said things can change in a hurry across professional sports? That was the case throughout the year for this Nationals squad.

They went from being projected as one of the worst teams in the majors to being feisty underdogs. Then, as they kept winning, they started to play themselves into playoff contention. That unraveled around the trade deadline, which caused the front office to sell. Then, a long stretch of horrendous play seemingly undid all of the good will that was built up during the early part of the season.

But, as is often the case, that perception changed before the end of the campaign. After getting swept on their six-game West Coast road trip from Sept. 4-9, Washington had a 10-4 record to close out the month, which featured series wins in four out of their five sets.

During that span, the bats came back to life. Some of the young pitchers flashed their upside as others returning from injury. And, perhaps most importantly, they finalized an extension with Cade Cavalli, which was a massive signal to the fanbase and the rest of the players that this organization is serious about building a winner going forward.

So, after turning things around and finishing the 2026 season on a high note, the real work begins for Toboni, Butera and the other decision makers, as this winter will be a massive one to make sure this organization is set up to succeed.