Washington Nationals POBO Paul Toboni evaluates what the front office could do at the trade deadline
The Washington Nationals got back in the win column after a 10-2 finish secured the first series of the season against Boston, while also securing the Nationals' seventh road series win over their last eight.
Washington will now head into another off day before hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night for the first of nine home games in nine days to close the first half of the 2026 regular season. Yet the series opener will also mark exactly one month out from the MLB trade deadline, scheduled to go into effect at 6 PM ET on August 3. The inconsistencies through June posed a question as to whether the front office would opt to shift its stance from monitoring possible offers to looking around the league to find possible help, especially along the pitching staff.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni did make clear that "everything's on the table" when evaluating all potential moves, but it will also be up to the Nationals as to what a final decision will be.
"We’ve just got to take care of our business. And I think if we do, we'll find ourselves in a decent spot," Toboni said on 106.7.
Foster Griffin has drawn consistent feedback as one of the top pitchers on the trade market heading into the deadline after dazzling through his rookie season, giving the Nationals at least a decision to make. Whether Washington opts to hang onto the former Japanese League pitcher is another topic, yet maybe the more pressing question for a historically stingy front office is also whether the tune is able to change with new leadership in place to lead the Nationals through year one of the Blake Butera and Toboni era. Yet if the opportunity does present itself, Toboni admitted there "are certainly paths" to take on additional salary and become buyers at the trade deadline.
"I think there are other ways to where we can get creative and maybe create a little bit more payroll flexibility where we can do that. But there are a few different levers you can pull, so to speak," Toboni added.
While there may be uncertainty about what moves if any the Nationals make, what was clear is the front office won't do anything that alters the long-term direction of the rebuild, which likely means the farm system that produced a pair of Future All Star participants and several other top performers remains the priority.
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