Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals

Montes de Oca was drafted by the Mets in 2018, and a few years ago, he had the potential to be an elite Major League reliever. In AAA with the Mets in 2022, Montes de Oca posted a 3.44 ERA and struck out a whopping 56 batters in just 34 innings. The big right showcased that he had elite stuff that could get swings and misses from batters. However, Montes de Oca has had Tommy John surgery two times in the past three years.

The catcher began his journey through the minor leagues with the Dodgers, who signed him out of Venezuela in 2019. Valladares was one of a few Venezuelan catching prospects in the Dodgers' system alongside Diego Cartaya and Keibert Ruiz. Both Cartaya and Ruiz eventually left the Dodgers via trade, but Valladares remained with the Dodgers and trudged his way through L.A.'s farm system.

He made his long-awaited Major League debut just 364 days after the Nationals drafted him. He excelled in college at San Diego State University, where Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn coached him, and in his MLB debut, oh boy, did he shine. In just seven innings of work, he struck out 14 Pittsburgh Pirates, allowed two runs on four hits, and didn't walk an opposing batter. The anticipation for greatness built, and although injury cut his rookie season short,

The Washington Nationals have finally made a pivotal decision that fans had been waiting on for awhile now. No, they have not decided to trade All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams yet, although that could possibly be on the horizon despite President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni's most recent comments, but there was a big decision made. That decision actually did not come with anything related to

Before you read any of this, use this article for entertainment purposes because it discusses risky gambling in a hedge against buying tickets to see your Washington Nationals. This idea came from Twitter/X's, Crabcakes&Football, an account that frequently gets salty about the Nats. And that account certainly isn't alone in the growing pessimism. A discussion with constant curmudgeon, @dclandofnerds, led to an X.com discussion (see below) that led to this article.

New President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni had a huge checklist on his hands when the offseason began in terms of actually hiring people in the front office that were doing anything besides collecting a paycheck, which Mike Rizzo and his staff had been doing since 2019, and to this point, he has succeeded in that. His goal was to turn the organization into a player development machine, and at least the names look promising, although we've yet to actually see anything.

The Nationals are in agreement with lefty reliever Zach Penrod on a minor league contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Dynamic Sports Group client would be paid an $800K rate, marginally above the minimum, if he makes the MLB roster. Penrod is a former Red Sox farmhand who made seven appearances for Boston in 2024. Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was an assistant general manager for the Sox at the time.

Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers have flipped the baseball world upside down. This time with their record breaking, four year, $240 million deal with Kyle Tucker. The back to back World Series champions are adding to their reputation as the 'Evil Empire' with the signing of seemingly every single All-Star caliber player in the league. While fans everywhere are losing their minds over the newly polished Dodgers' $400 million payroll, Washington Nationals fans should be feeling something much worse... fear.

As Paul Toboni and the newly filled out front office continue to sit on their hands this winter, making just one big league signing so far, the reality of the situation has begun to set in. The Nats are preparing (as of now) to head into the 2026 season with a middle of the pack lineup in terms of proven production and a combined age of a college senior with zero veteran safeguarding or protection.

Throughout the offseason, one of the more awkward times of the year is the subject of arbitration for players and teams around Major League Baseball. Their case is a true first, as Skubal and his camp are seeking $32 million in salary for 2026, which would be a record awarded in arbitration. The Tigers filed at $19 million, which leaves the side $13 million apart as rumors of Skubal being traded to the highest bidder will only surely increase moving forward.

On that day, Washington officially announced the signing of Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract. At the time, it marked the largest deal ever given to a right-handed pitcher and a clear signal that the Nationals were serious about winning. Scherzer arrived in Washington from the Detroit Tigers. Already an established ace, he still exceeded expectations. From 2015 to 2021, he posted a 2.80 ERA across 189 appearances and struck out 1,610 batters.