Nationals Get One of Their Key Offensive Figures Poached by Mariners
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One of the bright spots for the Washington Nationals during the 2026 season was their offense.
They finished the year third in runs scored (821), sixth in homers (210), fourth in doubles (281), seventh in total hits (1,355) and seventh in wRC+ (103). That was a huge step forward compared to how they have performed in the past, and it was a great sign of what could come under the leadership of president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera when considering the youth of the roster and the star-level prospects coming up the pipeline.
Unfortunately, a key figure involved in that offensive surge won't be around in 2027.
Mariners Hire CJ Gillman Away From Nationals
Per The Athletic (subscription required), the Seattle Mariners have hired CJ Gillman to be their new hitting coach. He previously was the franchise's minor league hitting coordinator from 2022-25 after a stint with the Cincinnati Reds. And this past season, he was with the Nationals as the director of hitting.
Gillman reportedly did the most of his work with Washington's minor leaguers, which saw the farm system go from being 28th in home run rate and 28th in wRC+ to seventh and eighth in those metrics, respectively. However, he also was involved with what took place at the major league level, as The Athletic also added that the team adopted his mantra to "crush strikes in the air."
The new approach on offense was palpable, as many players throughout the organization saw an uptick in their offensive performance. That included career-years from star players like CJ Abrams, to struggling offensive players like Jacob Young and Keibert Ruiz, and to top prospects like Seaver King and Eli Willits.
It's not clear at this time who the Nationals are going to replace Gillman with. But it's clear that the new person hired for that role will need to continue what has taken place, since the offensive performance of the entire organization was something that stood out for Washington during the 2026 campaign.
Meanwhile, with Seattle still searching for their manager after Dan Wilson and the franchise decided to part ways after a disappointing season, the decision makers in place have decided that Gillman will be part of the staff no matter who takes over as skipper. That points to just how crucial of a figure the Mariners consider Gillman to be, and it's why Toboni will need to make another high-end hire to backfill his opening.
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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