While no moves were made, Paul Toboni had a busy first day at the Winter Meetings. The Nats and their potential trade targets were the talk of the town in Orlando with plenty of rumors surfacing about
MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. There were also updates about the coaching staff and new technology that will be integrated into the organization.
Let’s start with some of the trade rumors because those are the biggest talking points. As we have discussed there has been a lot of buzz around the Nats trading MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal put out a report that said teams were pushing the Nats hard on Abrams. The Gore stuff has been around for a while, but the idea of an Abrams trade is fresher for Nats fans.
The Abrams news also seemed more surprising for Paul Toboni as well. When he was asked about it yesterday, Toboni said that he did not see the CJ Abrams stuff until today. He looked a bit taken aback when he was asked about it as well. Does that mean a trade is less likely or that a leak came out before Toboni anticipated? I guess we will find out with his actions over the coming weeks.
We wrote about how an Abrams trade would be more complicated and tougher to sell than a Gore move. Abrams has an additional year of control and is not represented by Scott Boras. At just 25 years old, you would think that he is a player to build around, not move. However, with his questionable defense and streaky bat, this could also be the perfect time to sell high. If they move off Abrams, it has to be for a massive return.
The trade buzz was not the only thing that went down today for Toboni. He also finalized the staff, which we covered. Matt Borgschulte was finally named the hitting coach and Victor Estevez was named the third base coach. Toboni also wrote an open letter to the fans, which we will link to below.
There were no moves, but the Nats seem to be setting the stage for something big. It would not come as a surprise if MacKenzie Gore is moved in the coming days. With the Jose A. Ferrer for Harry Ford trade, Toboni has already made it clear he is going to reset this operation. Trading your best reliever when the bullpen is already bad shows that Toboni is thinking long term rather than building for 2026.
One thing that Toboni did talk about that Nats fans will love is how the Nats are upgrading their technology. Last season, the Nats not having a Trajekt Arc pitching machine became a major source of controversy. Whether it was ownership or the front office, the organization missed the boat on having the most up to date technology.
In their media availability yesterday, both Devin Pearson and Toboni told reporters that the team is investing in the most up to date technology. Part of the appeal of Toboni is that he will modernize the organization. Bringing in these tools will help them achieve that goal.
However, these fancy tools are only as good as the people with the plan. It is up to the front office and coaching to implement this tech in a way that helps the players. If they can do that, the new technology could be a real game changer for the Nats.
Not much happened at the Winter Meetings yesterday, but the Nats were at the tip of everyone’s tongue. Do not be surprised if we see a big move from Paul Toboni in the coming days. Now that he has a coaching staff and front office ready to roll, it is time to help the Nats get back to prominence.
