Days away from the start of 2026, the Washington Nationals will enter the new season with questions and young talent looking to become key part of those answers.
While a big part of the offseason remains centered around pitching, the Nationals will lean on its young pieces in James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams and Daylen Lile to take steps forward. The youth along the roster is glaring with Josh Bell the only player on the roster older than 30 years old on the roster, giving credence to the future of the organization under what has shaped up to be the youngest front office in baseball with Paul Toboni, Ani Kilambi and now Blake Butera officially on board.
Advertisement
While the Nationals may enter the new year with the second-worst odds to win the National League only behind the Colorado Rockies, the Nationals were named one of two NL East teams alongside the Atlanta Braves and one of six “teams whose fortunes are looking up” for the 2026 season.
MLB: When you haven’t had a winning season since before the pandemic — even if that 2019 season ended in a World Series title — it’s probably a sign that you need some fresh eyes leading your organization. The Nationals certainly have that, with a 33-year-old manager, a 35-year-old president of baseball operations and a 31-year-old general manager. Crusty old salts, they’re not. But it makes sense to put youth in charge of this franchise, because the whole foundation of the Nats is youthful: Only one player in their projected starting lineup is older than 25, and that’s Keibert Ruiz, who is only 27. The next step is for those young players to make leaps forward, and there’s every reason to think that James Wood, Dylan Crews and even Daylen Lile may be ready to do just that. Nats fans have been waiting for all that youth — on the field, and now in dugout and the front office — to translate into on-field success. This may well be that year.
A big part of that upside is the addition of other prospects like Harry Ford, who could materialize into a key part of the future of the organization and was named one to watch in 2026. Ford joins the organization after being acquired in exchange for pitcher Jose Ferrar and now looks to compete with Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams for the starting job in 2026 while Toboni noted he can be an “impactful defensive catcher.”
A big possible change in the outlook would be a resolution to the Mackenzie Gore trade rumors, whether a move comes to fruition ahead of opening day or he materializes into a trade deadline target. With talk slowing in the weeks since the Winter Meetings, it remains a question mark for a Nationals team still in need of addressing pitching among other positions. When 2025 first-round pick and shortstop Elli Willits, who enters the new year ranked 15th in MLB’s top 100 prospect rankings, makes his debut adds to the optimism of the Nationals in 2026 – and beyond.