It is always good to see people that were with the organization have success or prove themselves with their new role. Losing Paul Toboni was a massive blow to the Red Sox front office, as he is a great baseball mind and has an eye for talent. Which is precisely why he was hired by the Washington Nationals to run their baseball operations. Now, the Nationals finally have a crystal clear direction and that fan base can breathe a little bit.
Photo Credit: Amanda Bowen
It feels like a lifetime ago where we saw the Nationals win the World Series. Juan Soto was just 20 years old and Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg sold their arms for that title. It was weird baseball poetry being able to win the title immediately after Bryce Harper bolted for the city of Philadelphia. Since then though, the path for the Nationals has been murky.
Strasburg retired and then the team began to sell off players for assets. Scherzer and short stop Trea Turner were traded in a package deal to the Dodgers. Then there was the goal of aiming to keep Juan Soto around. The Nationals offered Soto 15 years, $440 million, which he respectfully declined and eventually nearly doubled when he signed with the Mets. The goal was to build around Soto, but instead moved him for assets that shaped their core. Coming into the fold was Mackenzie Gore, James Wood, and CJ Abrams. Sure the return was nice, but it didn’t pay any dividends.
Alex Bregman has a new number and bigger mission with the Cubs
The Nationals have been stuck in mediocre purgatory with no clear path in sight. Since winning the World Series, they have yet to have a winning season and haven’t won above 71 games. It’s not a great outlook to have and with Toboni in the fold, it’s crystal clear that the path is a hard rebuild and he’s done a good enough job to start and give the fans something to look forward to.
One part of the Soto return is out the door. As good as Gore was for the Nationals, he doesn’t fit their timeline with two years of control and the Nationals nowhere near contention. Toboni got a solid prospect haul from the Texas Rangers to stock cupboards in full. Sadly, it wasn’t Sebastian Walcott in this deal, but the Nationals landed 3B Gavin Fien, SS Devin Fitz-Gerald, RHP Alejandro Rosario, 1B Abimelec Ortiz and and OF Yeremy Cabrera. Fien was selected this past draft by the Rangers and per Jeff Passan, evaluators love short stop Fitzgerald. He has good bat to ball skills and isn’t regarded as a slugger, but a good contact hitter that uses the entire field.
Nationals add former Red Sox lefty Zach Penrod on minor league contract
There is not a lot of upside at the third base position for the Nationals going into 2026. Granted Fien won’t be ready until 2029, but it helps establish the building block for the position moving forward. Not to mention, the franchises top prospect is Eli Willits (15th per MLB pipeline) makes for a really athletic left side of the infield. Prior to this move, Toboni identified pieces from other organizations where either blocked or falling further down the depth chart. Even before Gore was gone, the Nationals need pitching.
In a rare prospect for prospect swap, the Nationals landed Luis Perales from the Red Sox in exchange for Jake Bennett. Bennett is ideal for the Red Sox and the type of player they covet. Big, strikeout machine, good command. Whereas Perales was falling further down the charts and his walk rates were alarmingly concerning. Given the upside with Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, even Kyson Witherspoon it’s hard to paint a picture of where Perales could fit in. Much like Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins going to the Cardinals, it gives the chance for Perales to pitch and see the mound.
How the Red Sox rotation could look to start 2026 – and how it could change throughout the year
One of the more underrated moves by Toboni was giving the Nationals a backstop with enormous upside. Harry Ford was blocked by Cal Raleigh and has the upside to make him an MLB ready catcher. Toboni brings him into the fold and solidifies the position that’s been a struggle. The 22 year old did fairly well in his first stint in Triple A, slashing .283/.408/.460 with an .868 OPS. He does have work to improve on his defense with blocking and framing, but the upside at the plate could pay dividends. He didn’t run as much in Triple A, but he’s stolen 20+ bags each of the last three seasons in the Mariners minor league systems.
Short stop CJ Abrams is being shopped and that’s another piece of the Soto return that could get a hefty return to help the rebuild. Abrams is arbitration eligible in 2027 and not a free agent until 2029, so there is plenty of team control and he’s only 25 years old. Abrams is a player that will net you 15-20 home runs and is a weapon on the base paths. He has stolen 30+ bases in each of the last three seasons, so there is plenty of upside with the player. Between 2024 and 2025, his slash lines were identical, as well as his wRC+. The concern is he’s been a negative defender at the short stop position. It got slightly better, going from -18 OAA to -11, but a -6 defensive runs saved doesn’t look pretty. If the team is committing for a full scale rebuild, Abrams very much could get you a return and the true potential is there.
They have a lot of upside with some of their prospects and that includes Travis Sykora (49th per MLB) and Jarlin Susana (87th per MLB) that could help the club in the very near future. The organization couldn’t build around Soto, but the goal should be building around James Wood. Wood is coming off a big breakout season, hitting .256 with an .825 OPS and 127 wRC+. The 23 year old hit 31 home runs and swiped 15 bags and improved on everything from his 2024 season. He’s their new star and a player the organization should continue to invest in and build around.
What the Nationals are doing is good. Toboni is using his talent evaluation skills and putting together a good offseason for the Nationals. The goal isn’t to contend and be competitive right now. But to tear things down and build it back up properly and this organization finally has a direction thanks to Toboni.