The 2026 Washington Nationals season was the Nationals' 22nd season as the Major League Baseball franchise in the District of Columbia, the 19th season at Nationals Park, and the 58th since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
This was the Nationals' first season under President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni, general manager Anirudh Kilambi, and manager Blake Butera, as well as their first season to be broadcast on television by MLB Local Media (as Nationals.TV).
Offseason Team news Several major changes defined the Washington Nationals' 2025–26 offseason, including overhauls of the front office, coaching staff, and player development system; trades, waiver claims, and other roster moves; and a new television broadcast arrangement.
Front office The Nationals finished out the 2025 season under interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, after dismissing president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez in July.
Within days of their season ending with a 66–96 record, placing them last in the National League East Division, the Nationals announced the hiring of 35-year-old Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their new president of baseball operations. DeBartolo remained with the organization under Toboni as an assistant general manager and senior vice president. Several other members of the front office, including longtime assistant general managers Eddie Longosz and Mark Scialabba, were not retained. Toboni made several key additions to his leadership team, including Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Anirudh Kilambi as general manager,Prior to his dismissal in July 2025, Mike Rizzo had held the positions of general manager and president of baseball operations simultaneously since the 2013 season. With the hiring of Kilambi, the Nationals officially separated the jobs, establishing a hierarchy in which the general manager would report to the president of baseball operations. (See "Ani Kilambi, 31, is joining the Washington Nationals as their general manager", NBC Sports Washington, December 18, 2025.) former colleague and Red Sox scouting director Devin Pearson and Pittsburgh Pirates scouting director Justin Horowitz as assistant general managers, and Red Sox field coordinator Andrew Wright as his special assistant.
On January 6, 2026, the Nationals announced the hiring of Jason Sinnarajah as president of business operations. Sinnarajah, formerly chief operating officer of the Kansas City Royals, would report to ownership and handle the business side of the Nationals organization, as counterpart to Toboni in his role overseeing baseball operations.The hiring of Toboni and Sinnarajah during the 2025–26 offseason marked the first time the Nationals franchise had employed two separate team presidents overseeing baseball and business operations, respectively. (See Mears, Stephen G., "Wiemer, Serrano, Suarez, and Sinnarajah in Nats News & Notes", TalkNats.com, January 6, 2026.)
Coaching staff
The 2025 Nationals coaching staff's contracts expired after the end of the World Series.
While Washington was linked in media reports to 2025 interim manager Miguel Cairo, former Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson, Cleveland Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, and Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, Toboni's choice for the new manager of the Nationals was a surprise: 33-year-old Blake Butera, the Tampa Bay Rays senior director of player development and two-time Carolina League Manager of the Year. Upon their hiring, both Butera and Toboni were the youngest people in Major League Baseball to hold their positions, respectively as team manager and top executive.
Among 12 coaches the Nationals brought in under Butera,The full 2026 coaching staff under manager Blake Butera: Bench coach Michael Johns (previously Tampa Bay Rays first base coach) Hitting coach Matt Borgschulte (previously Minnesota Twins hitting coach) Pitching coach Simon Mathews (previously Cincinnati Reds assistant pitching coach) Assistant hitting coach Andrew Aydt (previously Driveline Baseball assistant director of hitting) Assistant hitting coach Shawn O'Malley (previously Class-AAA Tacoma Rainiers hitting coach) Assistant pitching coach Sean Doolittle (previously Nationals pitching strategist) Assistant pitching/bullpen coach Dustin Glant (previously Indiana University pitching coach) First base/outfield/baserunning coach Corey Ray (previously Arizona Complex League Cubs manager) Third base/infield coach Víctor Estévez (previously High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers manager) Field coordinator Tyler Smarslok (previously Miami Marlins first base coach) Catching coach/run game coordinator Bobby Wilson (previously Texas Rangers catching coordinator) Development coach/bullpen catcher Grant Anders (previously Baltimore Orioles major league development coach) (See Camerato, Jessica, "Butera makes 1st staff hire, adds Johns as bench coach", MLB.com, November 10, 2025; Nusbaum, Spencer, "Nationals name Simon Mathews, 30, pitching coach", The Washington Post, November 11, 2025; and "Nationals announce Major League coaching staff", Curly W Live, December 23, 2025.) they retained just one holdover from their 2024–25 staff: former Nationals closer Sean Doolittle, who was named the assistant pitching coach after two seasons as a pitching strategist. The average age of the coaching staff dropped from 51 in 2025 to about 36, as The Washington Post reported, with several of Butera's coaches still in their 20s and 30s. Many of the new coaches came to the Nationals from backgrounds in player development, including minor league managers Víctor Estévez and Corey Ray and college coach Dustin Glant. The Nationals added more coaching positions than they had in previous years, with changes including two assistant hitting and pitching coaches instead of one and the new role of development coach.
Player development system More than a dozen minor league coaches and player development staff members were dismissed early in the offseason. Among other areas of the Nationals organization, Toboni moved to overhaul the player development side, staffing it with hitting and pitching coordinators for the lower and higher minor league levels, under directors to provide a cohesive approach up and down the minor league system.
The Nationals hired away former hitting coach Jeremy Barnes and minor league pitching coordinator Grayson Crawford from the division-rival New York Mets to be their new directors of defense, baserunning, and game play and pitching, respectively. They hired CJ Gillman, previously a minor league hitting coordinator with the Seattle Mariners, as their director of hitting. Former Nationals outfielder Gerardo Parra, who was not retained as first base coach after the 2025 season, was kept on as a player development advisor.
The Nationals expanded the number of coaches for their minor league affiliates, adding more training and conditioning coaches, as well as a defensive coach and assistant pitching coach at every level. They retained Class-AAA Rochester Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy and Class-AA Harrisburg Senators manager Delino DeShields with mostly new coaching staffs. More collegiate coaches were brought on to manage Washington's low-minors affiliates: Former University of Central Florida assistant coach Ted Tom was hired to manage the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks, while Virginia Commonwealth University hitting coach Chris O'Neill joined the organization as manager of the Low-A Fredericksburg Nationals.
Washington also invested in more technology and training equipment, one of the major offseason priorities for Toboni and Pearson, to enhance player development. Technology such as Trajekt Arc simulated pitching machines and HitTrax hitting analysis machines was acquired for Nationals team facilities, including their spring training home at the Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, and their Class-AAA ESL Ballpark in Rochester, New York. The spring training stadium was also upgraded to Statcast standards with systems like Hawk-Eye and Trackman, to provide more game data.
Player roster
The Nationals removed several players from the roster before the end of the 2025 World Series: relievers Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Eduardo Salazar, and Mason Thompson and catchers Jorge Alfaro and C. J. Stubbs. Reliever Derek Law, first baseman Josh Bell, and third baseman Paul DeJong became free agents as their contracts expired. The Nationals went on to trim several more players from the roster during the offseason, including pitchers Zach Brzykcy, Andry Lara, Ryan Loutos, and Konnor Pilkington, longtime backup catcher Riley Adams, and infielder Trey Lipscomb. Washington also released reliever Sauryn Lao at his request to pursue a playing opportunity in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Washington tendered new contracts to starting pitchers Cade Cavalli, MacKenzie Gore, Josiah Gray, and Jake Irvin as well as infielders CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr., who were each eligible for arbitration. They agreed to terms with all of their arbitration-eligible players, including Cavalli on a one-year contract with a club option for the 2027 season.
The team protected three prospects eligible for the Rule 5 draft by adding them to the roster: pitchers Jake Bennett and Riley Cornelio and outfielder Christian Franklin. The Nationals were active in the Rule 5 draft themselves, selecting Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Griff McGarry to the major league roster.
The Nationals announced their first major league free agent signing under Toboni on December 22, signing starting pitcher Foster Griffin for a reported $5.5 million after Griffin spent three seasons overseas, pitching for NPB's Yomiuri Giants. They signed another free agent starter, veteran Miles Mikolas, for a reported $2.25 million on February 11. On March 10, the Nationals signed a third free agent starter, adding right-hander Zack Littell on a one-year deal for a reported $3 million, plus a mutual option at a reported $12 million salary with a $4 million buyout.
Throughout the offseason, Washington also acquired several players by claiming them off waivers, including pitchers Paxton Schultz from the Toronto Blue Jays, Gus Varland from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ken Waldichuk from the Tampa Bay Rays and outfielder Joey Wiemer from the San Francisco Giants.
Toboni executed his first trade at the helm of the Nationals by sending closer José A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners for prospects Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon on December 6. On December 15, the Nationals traded Bennett to the Red Sox for another pitching prospect, Luis Perales. After weeks of trade rumors, Gore went to the Texas Rangers in a five-for-one blockbuster headlined by infield prospect Gavin Fien on January 22. On February 10, days after claiming relief pitcher George Soriano off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and then designating him for assignment, the Nationals traded Soriano to the St. Louis Cardinals for fellow reliever Andre Granillo. The Nationals traded another young pitcher, prospect Sean Paul Liñan, to the New York Yankees on March 22, receiving infielder Jorbit Vivas in exchange.
Other trade rumors swirled around the Nationals throughout the offseason. Both before and after trading Gore to Texas, Toboni publicly acknowledged the Nationals were listening to offers for Abrams and other players as well, although he publicly disputed a report from The Washington Post that the Nationals were "shopping" Abrams and outfielder Jacob Young in particular.
Broadcasting