Trio of Nationals Stars Make Eye-Opening Comments to New Manager Blake Butera
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This offseason is one of change for the Washington Nationals.
That was to be expected after owner Mark Lerner made the decision to fire longtime executive Mike Rizzo and World Series-winning manager Dave Martinez in the middle of the 2025 campaign. However, perhaps nobody could have expected this massive of an organizational overhaul to come.
35-year-old Paul Toboni was hired as the president of baseball operations. With that, he hired plenty of up-and-coming executives to fill out his new front office and player development department. Then, he decided to make 33-year-old Blake Butera the manager of the Nationals, with subsequent coaching hires coming on the younger end, as well.
All of this is exciting for the fanbase. But as the players settle into this new reality, it's paramount that relationships are built and established to get things going on the right path.
That's why the comments made by three of Washington's star players -- James Wood, Daylen Lile and Dylan Crews -- to Butera are so eye-opening. Because it signals they are willing to do whatever it takes to become the best versions of themselves.
James Wood Said His 2025 Season 'Was Horrible'
As relayed by Mark Zuckerman of MASN, it's clear Wood was not a fan of his 2025 season when he spoke with Butera. The new skipper had to remind the youngster of the positives that came out of the campaign. But it's interesting to hear how negatively the star slugger viewed his performance.
"James Wood," Butera said. "I'm talking to him, and he's like: 'Yeah, last year was horrible.' I'm like: 'James, there's a lot of guys that are 22 years old that would take that season in a heartbeat.' He's like: 'Yeah, but the end of the year wasn't good."
By now, everyone knows the Jekyll and Hyde nature between Wood's first and second halves. Prior to the All-Star break, he was in the NL MVP conversation with 24 longballs hit that earned him a spot in the Home Run Derby. But after that, his homer rate went down and his strikeout rate soared, which caused him to finish with an MLB-leading 221 K's.
JAMES WOOD HITS TWO DINGERS 💥
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 9, 2025
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/RJZXQnapGa
Getting the young slugger back to the first half version of himself is something the coaching staff will have to work on. But it's also a good sign that he's already down in Florida trying to improve his defense with new bench coach Michael Johns.
It seems like the end of the 2025 season is going to be a motivator for Wood based on his comments to Butera. And the fact he's already grinding offseason workouts to improve is a scary thought considering what his ceiling could become.
Daylen Lile Is Hard at Work on Improving His Defense
In the same vein, Lile is also not pleased with how he played last season. Considering how sensational he was down the stretch, it would have been easy for him to sit back and rest on what he accomplished. But there is one clear aspect of his game that he is not happy with, and he told Butera as much.
"I talked to Daylen Lile," the skipper said. "I'm like: 'What are you working on?' He’s like: 'My defense is horrible. There's no reason that someone with my athleticism is not a good defender."
Daylen Lile goes up and gets it! 😮 pic.twitter.com/ObD8PmOD6l
— MLB (@MLB) June 24, 2025
The 23-year-old is not wrong in that assessment. For as athletic as he is -- evident by him setting the franchise rookie record for triples with 11 -- he should not be worth minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-eight outs above average across 91 major league games.
There was no indication regarding what Lile is doing to improve his defense, but it's a good sign that he is working on it at this stage of the offseason. Again, Lile could have sat back and been pleased with what he did from an offensive standpoint to close out the year. But he knows he has to be better if he's truly going to reach his ceiling.
All of that is a good sign from a young player who seems like he can be a cornerstone of this franchise going forward.
Dylan Crews Is Mad About How His 2025 Season Turned Out
Then there's Crews. To say his 2025 campaign was a disappointment might be an understatement. He came into the season as an NL Rookie of the Year favorite. But he ended things with more questions about his ceiling than he had coming in.
That's because, after an underwhelming 31-game stretch when he was called up for his major league debut in 2024, the 2023 second overall pick had a season that was marred by injuries and resulted in an underwhelming slash line of .208/.280/.352 and an OPS+ of 79.
"And Dylan Crews, the same thing. I talked to him, and he's like mad on the phone. 'Dylan, you've got time,'" Butera told the young outfielder.
What a throw by Dylan Crews 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ItWuhkZlLC
— MLB (@MLB) August 17, 2025
No one is ready to give up on Crews. He's 23 years old and was an elite prep player, an elite college player and was impressive in the minors. Things haven't translated to Major League Baseball as quickly as everyone had hoped, but he still plays a strong outfield with a plus-six value in defensive runs saved and plus-five in outs above average through his short MLB career thus far.
Improving at the plate is the next step for Crews. But with this new coaching staff in place, the hope is they can unleash something within the talented youngster which allows him to reach his ceiling that everyone believes will make him a perennial All-Star at the big league level.
