While Paul Toboni has not made any big splash moves, he signaled that big changes are coming this offseason. Minor League depth has been something the Nationals have been missing for years and Toboni is making it clear that he wants to change that. The Nats had 34 Minor Leaguers elect free agency, the most of any team in the league.
Obviously, that means the Nats are going to have to find guys to fill those spots. With that in mind, expect Toboni to bring in a lot of MILB free agents and non-roster invite guys. Hundreds of Minor Leaguers across the sport became free agents on Thursday, so there will be plenty of names to choose from.
The Nats Minor League teams have not been performing well in recent years. Obviously, Minor League records are not the biggest deal, but when the big league team has been bad for so long, you would like to have more depth. The Nats Triple-A, Double-A and High-A teams all finished below .500 in 2025.
Triple-A Rochester’s 59-88 record is the most alarming for me. Their lack of success is a signal that the team does not have reinforcements ready when needed. You want your AAA team to be good because those are the players that are one step away from the Big Leagues. Instead, the Nats had to sign guys off the street midseason just to eat innings or take at bats in Rochester.
This is something that Toboni is going to look to change. Hopefully he brings a level of thoughtfulness to the players he brings in on Minor League deals. In the past, the Nats were picking up too many guys who were raw athletes or washed up top prospects. Hopefully Toboni can find a few hidden gems here.
The Nats also shook up the back of their 40-man roster, as we talked about the other day. That 40-man is now at 34 players, and I would not be surprised if we saw it cut down even further. The Nats will need to protect guys from the Rule 5 Draft and make room for new additions. There is still plenty of fat to trim, especially on the pitching side of things.
There were not a ton of notable names among the 34 Minor League free agents, but there were a few that stood out. Juan Yepez had a really nice season in 2024, but his 2025 was dreadful in Rochester. Joan Adon is a pitcher who stuck around the organization for a long time, but now he is gone. Nick Schnell had a really nice year in AAA, but his swing and miss issues made him expendable.
I am very curious to see what kind of moves Toboni makes on the margins. It is a way that he can stand out and also rebuild this organization. Do not be surprised if this offseason is all about rebuilding the depth and patching some holes rather than making big splashes. Even if the Lerner’s want to spend, which is a question mark, there is a case to be made that now is not the time.
There was so much about this organization that was behind the times. This offseason will be all about modernizing things and building a deep organization. Paul Toboni is here to make top to bottom changes. He is not in the business of quick fixes. It is unfortunate that we are in this spot, but 2026 is going to be a year that will probably be defined by little wins in the organization rather than a push towards the playoffs or even a .500 record.
However, those little wins will eventually turn into big wins. I really think if the Nats do this right, they can be ready to make a big move going into 2027. If the Nats can have the kind of season the Marlins had last year, that would be a win. The Fish have made their system very deep and won 79 games last year. If Paul Toboni can do that in year one, it would be a great sign for the future of the franchise.
