The Washington Nationals tied the New York Mets for the best grade this offseason among NL East teams as The Athletic explains their pick.
After finishing with 66 wins one season ago, how much if at all the Washington Nationals are able to improve on that in 2026 remains to be seen with the final roster not yet possibly finalized, as president of baseball operations Paul Toboni hinted more moves could be on the way after the MacKenzie Gore trade last month.
While the Nationals were projected to finish last for the fifth time in the last six seasons, The Athletic was bullish on the Nationals' offseason and dished out an 'A-' grade, tied with the New York Mets as the best grades in the NL East.
The biggest addition of the offseason didn't come from the MAcKenzie Gore trade, but rather the return
A pair of key offseason takeaways were a pair of trades to end 2025, including the Jose Ferrer trade back in December that landed Harry Ford in Washington along with the December trade for pitcher Luis Perales from the Red Sox, giving Toboni a chance to work with his former club. Of course, the five prospects acquired in the MacKenzie Gore traded bolstered the future of the Nationals' infield with the arrival of Gavin Fien giving the organization a second top-15 draft pick from 2025.
"The best trade the Nationals made was the swap with the Rangers that landed them 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien, who now becomes their long-term answer at shortstop," Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote. "In addition to Fien, they added four more prospects in that deal, including right-hander Alejandro Rosario, who has a strong arsenal and upside, though he will miss the 2026 season as he deals with a torn UCL."
Of course, the biggest question heading into 2026 in The Athletic's outlook was whether shortstop CJ Abrams will materialize into the next key National who materializes into a realistic trade target.
Toboni debunked a January report that said the Nationals were shopping both Abrams and outfielder Jacob Young, while signing a similar tune to the MacKenzie Gore saga where the front office will listen.
"I called both of them and said this is a load of you know what. And they were laughing, but I wanted to be truthful with them," Toboni said during an event for season ticket holders over the weekend. "I'm like hey, we're not shopping you both. Having said that, I also don't want to lead you down this path like there's a zero percent chance they get traded because there is a non-zero percent change that you get traded."
The Nationals have been active on the waiver wire while agreeing to a handful of minor league deals through January, letting the front office stockpile talent across its minor league system and finalizing its coaching staff earlier in the month. Whether the Nationals look outside the organization for any changes to its starting lineup or rotation is the question mark, most notably at first base, starting pitching and even in the closing spot, with the free agent market thinning out with Opening Day inching closer.