Latest news and updates about the Nationals
There has been a lot of conversation around what the Nationals could do at the first base position in 2026. Most have assumed that the Nats would bring in some sort of veteran option at the position. Toboni hinted at that idea during the Winter Meetings. However, as we get deeper into the offseason, we […]
From Federal Baseball | 16 days ago | 1 read
One of the most interesting moves the Nats have made this offseason is when they acquired Luis Perales from the Red Sox for Jake Bennett. It was a rare prospect for prospect trade, which saw the Nats acquire Perales, who has an electric arm. Jake Bennett was seen as the safer prospect though. Despite being […]
From Federal Baseball | 16 days ago | 1 read
Back in October, I took a look at Paul Toboni’s history of drafts with the Boston Red Sox in hopes of finding a clear trend in his draft philosophy. What I discovered was a tendency to target hitters in the first round, up the middle position players, and big-time strikeout stuff when he does go […]
From Federal Baseball | 17 days ago | 2 reads
When the clock struck midnight, it marked not only a new year, but also the expiration of the Washington Nationals deal with MASN. The Nationals marriage with MASN was forced upon them by the Orioles as a condition to moving to DC. It has created plenty of tension between the two franchises, but after a […]
From Federal Baseball | 18 days ago | 2 reads
2025 was, for all intents and purposes, a pretty bad year for the Washington Nationals. Expectations weren’t especially high, with most fans expecting a win total in the 70s and a few holding out with playoff hopes, but the team wasn’t able to achieve even that, finishing 66-96 and resulting in the firing of Manager […]
From Federal Baseball | 20 days ago | 2 reads
Entering 2026, the Washington Nationals bullpen is loaded with uncertainty. The unit had the worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball last year, with a 5.59 mark. Rather than adding to the unit, Paul Toboni has made the group even worse on paper so far this offseason by trading presumptive closer Jose A. Ferrer to […]
From Federal Baseball | 20 days ago | 2 reads
There were no blockbuster moves made by the Nationals this past week, but there were a couple interesting news items I wanted to discuss. With the holiday season, the MLB offseason has slowed to a crawl this week. However, there was still some movement and fun things to take a look at. The most noteworthy […]
From Federal Baseball | 21 days ago | 2 reads
After spending the 2024 season with the Milwaukee Brewers as a solid swing-man, the Phillies gave Joe Ross a one-year deal for what seemed like a similar role. Over the course of seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and the aforementioned Brewers, Ross has made 86 starts while coming out of the bullpen 37 times. […]
From The Good Phight | 21 days ago | 1 read
As we enter 2026, one thing I will be keeping track of this season is the progress of the Nationals top 5 picks in the 2025 draft. Armed with plenty of bonus pool money, the Nationals were able to land five of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 players in last year’s draft. With Paul Toboni bringing […]
From Federal Baseball | 22 days ago | 2 reads
Yesterday afternoon, Prospects Live, a site dedicated to covering the minor leagues, MLB Draft, and dynasty fantasy baseball rankings, put out their prediction for how the Nationals roster would look in the year 2028. I wanted to break down some of their choices, as while I agree with many of their decisions, there are as […]
From Federal Baseball | 23 days ago | 2 reads
One interesting and underdiscussed storyline from this offseason is the future of Luis Garcia Jr. in DC. Despite some speculating that Garcia would be non-tendered, Paul Toboni decided to bring the 25 year old back into the fold. Now that he is back, the biggest question now is how he will be deployed. Down the […]
From Federal Baseball | 24 days ago | 1 read
Today is Christmas Day and also, today we stand just 91 days from the Cubs’ 2026 season opener against the Nationals at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have, well, not put much under fans’ Christmas trees, player-wise, yet. Perhaps we’ll all get some New Year’s gifts upcoming. I hope this holiday season, whatever holiday you celebrate, […]
From Bleed Cubbie Blue | 25 days ago | 1 read
Yesterday, Ryan O’Hearn signed a 2-year $29 million contract with the Pirates. This is relevant to the Nats in a couple of ways. The most obvious is that the Nats missed out on a first base target. I wrote about O’Hearn as a fit and even said a potential contract could be 2-years $28 million. […]
From Federal Baseball | 26 days ago | 3 reads
We have talked a lot about the potential of a MacKenzie Gore trade this offseason, but one team we have not considered is the Athletics. At first glance, it is easy to dismiss that idea, but the more you think about it, the more sense it makes. The A’s have a playoff caliber lineup, but […]
From Federal Baseball | 27 days ago | 2 reads
The Tampa Bay Rays have hired Corey Dickerson as their first base coach, replacing Michael Johns, who joined the Washington Nationals as bench coach. “I am thrilled to congratulate and welcome Corey to serve as our first base coach,” said Rays Manager Kevin Cash. “I look forward to him bringing his experience and expertise to […]
From DRaysBay | 27 days ago | 2 reads
Over the last few days, there have been a few pieces of Nationals news I wanted to catch up on. There has been a minor league signing, some staff hirings and a player on the 40-man roster left for Japan. None of these news items are earth shattering, but they could play a role in […]
From Federal Baseball | 28 days ago | 1 read
The Luis Perales trade made one thing clear, the Washington Nationals want their pitching prospects to throw absolute gas. After the deal, the Nats top pitching prospects are almost all flamethrowers. Between Perales, Jarlin Susana, Miguel Sime Jr., Travis Sykora, Alex Clemmey, Eriq Swan and Landon Harmon, there is a ton of heat in the […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Nats fans have said a lot of things about owner Mark Lerner in recent years. However, one thing you cannot accuse him of is not picking a direction after firing Mike Rizzo. The Washington Nationals have gone all in on acquiring the brightest young minds in the baseball world. Lerner has replaced a braintrust that […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 2 reads
We have talked a lot about how the Nationals need pitching and first base help. However, one position we have not really talked about is DH. For most of last season, Josh Bell was the DH, while Nathaniel Lowe played first base. With both of those guys gone, what will the Nats do at the […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 2 reads
I had a thought process. Early this morning, I was reading about the Nationals’ trifecta of relative youngsters: Paul Toboni, their new head of baseball ops, is 35. Newly-hired manager Blake Butera is 33. And now, Toboni has added Ani Kilambi to do the day-to-day stuff as GM, and Kilambi is 31. You add any […]
From Talking Chop | about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni just made a major move in the front office, hiring Ani Kilambi to be the GM. This is a move that came out of the blue. For a high profile position like GM, there was no buzz around the Nats hiring Kilambi. However, the move has been made, […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 3 reads
Yesterday, Paul Toboni made his first free agent addition, signing left handed pitcher Foster Griffin from Japan. Griffin should bolster the back end of a rotation that needs help after a rough 2025. With Griffin in the fold, will Paul Toboni continue to attack the starting pitching market? Well, this could really go either way. […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 3 reads
The offseason continues to move along, as this week we’ve had a spate of low-profile relief signings; Caleb Thielbar re-signing with the Cubs, the Nationals handing $5.5 million to lefty Foster Griffin, the Giants inking Jason Foley for $2 million, and the Reds landing former Yankee Caleb Ferguson on a one-year deal. Exciting stuff! The […]
From Pinstripe Alley | about 1 month ago | 5 reads
Just Yesterday, we wrote about how the Nats do not have a ton of options to close games with Jose A. Ferrer gone. Well, Paul Toboni might have made a trade that landed the Nats their closer of the future in Luis Perales. The Nats should continue to develop Perales as a starter, but if […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 4 reads
Another first base option in the Nats’ realm of possibility is off the board, as Josh Bell signed with the Minnesota Twins for 1 year, $7 million yesterday. The Nationals had not been linked to Bell this offseason by anyone, but the possibility of him returning to man first base for them did exist. But […]
From Federal Baseball | about 1 month ago | 4 reads