Five Best Nationals Transactions Amid Another Rebuilding Year in 2025
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For a team that lost 96 games and finished in last place, the Washington Nationals made some noise this season. The product on the field wasn't great, but the franchise did make a lot of moves that could be hugely beneficial as they continue to rebuild this team.
Sure, they made some ill-fated moves including trading for veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, but there were generally some things to like from both roster construction and off the field standpoints.
Washington will be without their long-time general manager and even play-by-play announcer next season, but there are reasons to be optimistic. If they continue to make net-positive moves with a young, talented roster, their rebuild could accelerate.
Moving On From Mike Rizzo
Mike Rizzo will forever be a legend in DC. He oversaw the most successful era of Nationals baseball and was the architect of their first championship team in 2019. That being said, it was time to move on from the long time executive.
Rizzo's team building, particularly his recent drafts, have fallen behind. Rizzo was more known for his ability to go and get big time free agents, like Max Scherzer and Jayson Werth. While that strategy worked, he had been unable to sign any free agents of note in recent memory, so his deficienies in the draft have become more prominent.
Sure, Rizzo drafted Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, but they were first overall picks a over a decade ago. Even then, the last first round pick to make a significant impact was Anthony Rendon, who left after 2019.
Over the last six drafts, five picks have been in the top 15. Brady House and Dylan Crews have not been good at the plate, and Cade Cavalli has made 11 appearances with a 81 ERA+. Of the other three, Eli Willits was just drafted this season and Elijah Green and Seaver King have both struggled after being top 10 picks.
Washington needed to make this move and build up their player development and scouting departments in a big way.
Acquiring Clayton Beeter
The Nationals were sellers at the deadline, and that included trading away their closer Kyle Finnegan. The right-hander was a name who had been on the block for a couple of years and Washington finally pulled the trigger and sent him away. But it was another small move that could have a bigger impact.
The New York Yankees were in need of some infield depth, so they went to Washington to trade for Amed Rosario in exchange for reliever Clayton Beeter.
Beeter is a former second round pick and pretty highly touted prospect. He played in the 2023 Futures Game as a starter before he transitioned into a reliever this season. So when the Nationals acquired him, there was some upside.
The 27-year-old was excellent after the trade, allowing just six runs in 21.2 innings, a 2.49 ERA. He also struck out 32 batters which came to an impressive 13.3 K/9. The reason that this move could wind up being their best of the deadline is that Beeter has the stuff to become their future closer.
It was a smaller sample size, but Washington is in need of some electricity in a bullpen that has been lackluster of late. The right-hander has a real chance to become their best reliever in 2026 and beyond.
Trading Alex Call
Alex Call was actually very good for the Nationals in 2025, playing 72 games, posting a 117 OPS+ and 1.1 bWAR while playing a good right field. However, trading him away not only gave Washington a great return, but it makes way for prospects to take over in right.
In return for Call, the Nationals acquired right-handed pitching prospect Sean Paul Liñan, who is just 20-years-old. The right-hander made just one start after the trade, but there is a lot to like.
In 19 games (15 starts) this season, Liñan threw 77.1 innings, posting a 3.03 ERA and striking out 12.3 batters per nine, which is an excellent mark for a starter. He did all of this while pitching in Single and High-A, along with two starts at Triple-A.
Liñan became the Nationals 14th best prospect right away, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a mid-90s fastball and average slider, but the bread and butter is a 65 grade changeup. He's still young, but there is a lot to like in Liñan.
Trading Call also freed up space that allowed Dylan Crews to take over in right. The former second overall pick had a down year offensively, posting a 79 OPS+ and .631 OPS, but the only way for him to progress is to play. Daylen Lile also saw time in right, and he was arguably the team's second best hitter, posting an .845 OPS and 137 OPS+.
Signing and Flipping Michael Soroka
Michael Soroka has had a roller coaster of a career so far. At 21-years-old, he was a six bWAR pitcher in 2019. Unfortunately, after multiple injuries, he only started three games from 2020 to 2023. Soroka returned in 2024 for the Chicago White Sox where he posted a 4.74 ERA in 25 games (nine starts).
So, the Nationals signed him to a one year deal worth $9 million to rehabilitate as a starter again. The right-hander started 16 games, posting a 4.87 ERA and 9.6 K/9. He was good enough, in fact, that he was a valuable commodity at the trade deadline for teams in need of pitching for pretty cheap.
Washington then flipped him to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects, Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin. Soroka threw just 8.1 innings for the Cubs before a season ending injury.
Cruz and Christian are both already ranked in the Nationals' system at 16 and 12, respectively. Franklin reached Triple-A and Cruz is a 19-year-old with plus pop. Athough they aren't all world prospects, they got two players for a pitcher in Soroka that was just returning to being a starter.
It's that kind of process that accelerates a rebuild.
Hiring Paul Toboni
Toboni comes over from the Boston Red Sox to become the President of Baseball Operations for the first time in his career. His background with Boston was in scouting and player development, which is what the Nationals desperately needed.
The executive will now be in charge of the rebuild and, hopefully, put them back in relavance, but he has a big job ahead of him. Firstly, he needs to hire a manager to lead this team. He also recently let go of the entire scouting department, so he will have to build his own from scratch.
It's the first time since 2006 that Mike Rizzo won't be involved in roster making, so Toboni has the opportunity to make his mark on this franchise moving forward. From his resumé, Toboni looks to be a good hire. But as always, time will tell if this approach will work or not.
