It is officially 2026, and with that comes a new chapter for the Washington Nationals. 2025 was a disappointing year on the field, but a massively important one off of it. 2026 will be the first full year of the Paul Toboni era. Here are some resolutions Toboni and the Nats should have for the new year.
Create a Scouting and Player Development Monster:
In Paul Toboni’s opening press conference, he made his vision very clear. He wanted to create what he called a “scouting and player development monster”.
Now it is time to make that goal a reality.
This is a concept that excites me, and many other Nats fans. Over the past few years, the Nats player development was lagging behind. Despite picking at the top of drafts and constantly selling at the deadline, Mike Rizzo left behind a below average farm system. He brought in talented players, but those guys did not get the proper development.
With a whole new front office and coaching staff at the MLB and Minor League level, hopefully the results can pick up. There were some success stories like Brad Lord and Daylen Lile, but we need to see more of them. A resolution for this new regime should be unearthing hidden gems.
This Minor League season will be fascinating to follow because of how much emphasis has been placed on development. The 2026 draft will also be a very exciting time for the franchise. Paul Toboni made his name as a scout, so I am excited to see how he approaches that. Nailing the draft and player development will be key for this new regime.
Trade MacKenzie Gore:
Honestly, I would be a bit disappointed if MacKenzie Gore is on the Opening Day roster. With two years of team control left, this offseason feels like the right time to trade him. He has been the Washington Nationals ace the past couple seasons, but given the Nats timeline, a trade makes a ton of sense.
Gore’s swing and miss prowess should give him a strong market despite his inconsistencies. The market for Gore has gotten quiet the past couple of weeks, but hopefully things heat up in the new year.
The Nats have so many needs, and it would be risky to hold on to Gore. They need a first baseman, pitching depth and just a general infusion of talent. Trading Gore would help that cause.
Teams like the Giants, Rangers, Yankees, Mets and Cubs could all be interested in Gore. They all have pieces that would really help the Nats. Waiting until the trade deadline for Gore to build value is tempting, but risky due to injuries. Gore performing in the first half also would not answer any of the biggest questions about him. The time to trade him is now.
Find More Quality Pitching:
Last season, the Nats pitching staff was disastrous. The unit posted a 5.35 staff ERA, the worst in team history. Their fastball heavy approach just did not work last year. It does not seem like the Nats will splash the cash for free agent pitching, but the staff still needs to get better.
One guy who could take a big step in 2026 is Cade Cavalli. He was finally healthy in 2025 and showed flashes. The 27 year old still has some warts, but he has a lot going for him. Cavalli has prototypical size and stuff. Despite that, he did not get the strikeout totals you would expect in the MLB.
However, he did a nice job limiting barrels. If he can generate more swing and miss in 2026, he is a real breakout candidate. Cavalli is the most obvious breakout candidate, but he is not the only one.
There are some guys in the bullpen like Jackson Rutledge, Cole Henry and Clayton Beeter who have untapped upside. I am interested to see what Toboni can do with guys like Brad Lord and Josiah Gray in 2026 as well. The Nats need to unlock some of their pitching talent.
Find a Way to Limit James Wood’s Strikeouts:
Don’t get it twisted, James Wood has the talent to be a star. However, his strikeout problems became concerning in the second half. He struck out 39% of the time after the All-Star break. Wood was in a prolonged slump where he looked lost for a long stretch.
We still know the talent is there though. He still hit 31 homers last year and has more in the tank. His quality of contact is exceptional and his opposite field power is jaw dropping. It is easy to envision Wood being a 40+ home run hitter as soon as next year.
We saw him do it for half of the season. He is capable of greatness, he just needs to be consistent. Wood was a borderline MVP caliber player for three months. There is no reason he can’t do that over a full season. As long as that strikeout rate stays below 30%, he should be a star slugger.
Unlock Another Gear in the Stars:
This one relates to the last resolution about Wood, but it also applies to other players. Over the last few years, the Nats best players have shown extremely high high’s, but very low low’s. James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore are all examples of that.
They come out like a house on fire to start seasons. The first couple months they look like superstars. However, the wheels come off in the second half. If that was the case for just one of these guys, it would be easy to blame the player. However, this was a systemic problem under the new regime.
A goal for the new regime should be to help create consistency. CJ Abrams is a perfect example. Every offseason, he makes adjustments at his winter facility. As the months drag on, it seems like things devolve and he begins to struggle. That is a massive indictment on the previous coaching staff.
With three years of control, this makes me want to hold onto Abrams rather than trade him. I think there is more to unlock in his game. If he can just be what he is in the first half of seasons, that is a star player. I do not want him to find that level with another team.
With MacKenzie Gore, the circumstances are a bit different. He has less control, has more injury risk as a pitcher and is a Boras client. This does not apply to Abrams, so I think Toboni should hold onto him and develop him.
Wrapping Up:
2026 is going to be a year where the new regime plants the seeds for their project. It probably won’t result in a playoff appearance right away, but it should lead to improvement. If we do see the right steps, the pressure goes on to ownership.
Right now, Paul Toboni is clearly all in on creating his scouting and player development monster. However, once those seeds are in place, it will be time to spend. Hopefully that happens once this project gets off the ground.
I am excited to see how this year goes. It is certainly not a World Series or bust year, but for a baseball die hard, it is very exciting. This year will set the stage for what is to come. 2026 is the year where the Nats will build a strong new foundation.
