The Washington Nationals announced a pair of promotions on Monday, while one outlet offered yet another bearish outlook on the 2026 season
Notes on the Washington Nationals as they approaching 2026 Opening Day.
Ovechkin Bobblehead Giveaway...just as the Nationals president of business operations Jason Sinnarajah hinted, the team opened the work week with an exciting announcement after announcing a crossover with DC sports. The team announced an Alex Ovechkin Bobblehead night is set for Saturday, May 16 when the Nationals host the Baltimore Orioles in the 'Beltway Series' with 20,000 fans set to receive. Ovechkin is also set to throw out the game's ceremonial opening pitch. The tribute to the DC icon is the latest way for the team to find ways to climb the attendance rankings after sitting in the bottom third in each of the last three seasons.
ESPN prediction for 2026...
in an offseason filled with bearish predictions and outlooks for the 2026 season ESPN opted to double down last week after noting the Nationals could be the worst team in baseball. Jeff Passan noted the Nationals "fumbled a rebuild" with new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni looking to now right the ship by "looking for a combination of prospects with high upside and big leaguers who could get flipped at the trade deadline."
That's a realistic possibility for a pair of free agent signings in Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas, while CJ Abrams drew speculation as the next National who could be traded exactly one day after the front office pulled the trigger on the MAcKenzie Gore trade. But whether the Nationals do become sellers at the trade deadline also hinges on their performances through the first half of the season as others like James Wood look to put a complete season together.
As far that translating into wins, Passan doesn't see it.
"As bad as the Nationals could be over the first four months of the season, they'll be worse after they move expiring contracts to keep building a farm system that has drastically improved since he took over."
Team Dog...the Nationals also announced a partnership with Canine Companions and Eukanuba to add a Team Dog for the 2026 season. The team announced that fans can vote on the dog's name from a list of four options including Cherry, Monty, Natty and Tater with voting open on Nationals.com/TeamDog until Wednesday, March 18, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The release added that the dog will also undergo training over the next 18 months under the supervision of the Canine Companions program, adding a fun storyline under the new leadership.