Nationals Officially Announce 2026 Coaching Staff Under Blake Butera
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The Washington Nationals have been a team to monitor during the Winter Meetings.
Major steam was picking up before the high-profile event that MacKenzie Gore could be traded. And then when the executives arrived in Orlando, Fla., increased interest in star shortstop CJ Abrams makes it seem like he could be on his way out of town at some point this offseason, too.
Trade rumors run rampant during the Hot Stove, so it's not a surprise this is dominating the headlines. However, the Nationals also made a key announcement when it comes to the future of their franchise, as president of baseball operations Paul Toboni revealed the 2026 coaching staff.
Though they could still add a few more positions, the Nationals' 2026 coaching staff is mostly complete: pic.twitter.com/6R2vJwWuaG
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) December 8, 2025
A few of these names were already known. After Toboni opted to hire 33-year-old Blake Butera to become the manager of this franchise going forward, they decided to hire experienced major league coach Michael Johns to serve as the bench coach.
Simon Mathews was previously announced as Washington's pitching coach. He came over from the Cincinnati Reds and is seen as a rising star in the sport, which bodes well for the future. Similarly, Corey Ray was already revealed to be the Nationals' first base coach, with Bobby Wilson also announced as the catching coach.
Other Notable Nationals Coaches Who Were Announced
A lot of fans were wondering who would be the hitting coach for Washington. It was reported and then announced that Matt Borgschulte would take on that role. He was the co-hitting coach of the Baltimore Orioles starting in 2021, then he became the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2025 campaign. He'll be reunited with bullpen catcher and developmental coach Grant Anders, who were both with the Orioles in 2024.
Andrew Aydt will serve as the assistant hitting coach under Borgschulte. The Nationals will have two assistant pitching coaches under Mathews: Sean Doolittle and Dustin Glant. Victor Estevez will be the team's third base and infield coach, and Tyler Smarslok will be the field coordinator.
All in all, there are 11 coaches on the staff under Butera. Out of those 11, only three are older than 40 years old, with Johns being the oldest at the age of 50.
to our fans. to our city. ❤️
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) December 8, 2025
from Paul Toboni → https://t.co/OD5d17nSd1 pic.twitter.com/VThD3B1WQ4
"We want to make sure we build a staff where each one of our players feel connected," Butera said, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com. "With that, I know most of the staff has trended younger. That wasn't on purpose. We weren't trying to get young staff."
When Butera was hired, there was a thought that the staff around him would be on the more experienced side of things since the incoming skipper has never coached at the major league level. But clearly, the goal of Toboni and Butera was to build the best staff possible, regardless of age.
There's a risk in that. While it's exciting that this staff is young compared to what Washington has had in recent years, the fact so many are stepping into new roles and responsibilities means growing pains are inevitable.
The hope is that both the players and coaching staff will grow together and get things on the right track once again in the nation's capital. Only time will tell if that comes to fruition or not.
