With the Washington Nationals finishing last in the National League East with a struggling 66-96 record, the team had to make crucial changes starting in the front office if they want to see any improvement for the 2026 season. 

Since the start of the Nationals offseason, 35-year-old Paul Toboni took on the Nationals President of Baseball Operations. Meanwhile, 33-year-old Blake Butera was named the team's manager. Together the two have been working extensively to secure a solid and winning staff for the upcoming season. 

Grant Anders was one of the first additions to the new coaching staff. Anders made the move to the Nationals after spending the past six years with the Baltimore Orioles. With the Nationals, Anders will serve primarily as the bullpen catcher but also as an MLB development coach. 

This won’t be an unfamiliar department for Anders. From 2021 to 2024 Anders served as an MLB player development analyst before then taking on the MLB player development coach position for the Orioles. 

Not all teams in the MLB have a full time role for MLB player development coaches. However, for Toboni, Butera and the Nationals, the addition of Anders will provide a young and fresh outlook as he looks to develop players for seasons to come.

In addition to Anders, the Nationals also added Desmond McGowan who looks to fulfill the role of Director of Amateur Acquisitions. Starting his career in 2019 with the Yankees as an analytics associate, McGowan then made the move working as an analyst for the Mets in 2021. 

McGowan’s main focus will be looking at finding new talent in the MLB Draft. 

Both Anders and McGowan are just the beginning of the rebuild that’s to come to the nation's capital. Despite Toboni becoming the youngest current MLB President, Toboni continues to make a monumental first impression. The Washington Nationals have yet to see a postseason run since their 2019 World Series win against the Houston Astros, where they clinched the series, 4-3. Toboni hopes to turn that all around. 

"Obviously we don't love that we won 66 games this past year. So there's definitely work to do," Toboni told ESPN after the end of a 66-96 finish in 2025. "But at the same time, I think it is a really exciting time within the franchise. What we're going to concern ourselves with is just making really good decision after really good decision. And hopefully we look up here in some period of time and momentum is starting to roll and we're really starting to build an organization that can be a perennial contender."

Anders and McGowan arrive in DC with a young core in limbo in outfielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams, outfielder Daylen Lile and left hander MacKenzie Gore returning. Still, the Nationals ranked 22nd in ESPN's farm system rankings and are ineligible for next year's draft lottery due to rules penalizing the team for losing.

"We need to create a really robust scouting and player development process and R&D process," Toboni previously told ESPN. "The name of the game is graduating high-end, cost-controlled talent to the major leagues. So the more of those guys we can have, the better. And I think if we build a foundation of talent like that, we're going to have a really good shot. That's where it all starts."