The Nationals have had an offseason of change. They have a new president of baseball operations (Paul Toboni) and general manager (Anirudh Kilambi). They have a first-time manager (Blake Butera), along with a remade big league coaching staff. They’re broadcasting games on a new platform.
The only familiar aspect of the team is the roster. The names, for the most part, are similar, though they’ve added veterans on one-year deals. But the Nationals’ new brass seems content to give every player an opportunity to prove himself.
Even in what will likely be a season with more losses than wins, there are important storylines to follow. Here’s what we’re watching for from the Nationals.
Can James Wood become a superstar?
Left fielder James Wood was the first National in six years to reach 30 home runs. (Hannah Foslien for The Banner)
Wood, 23, became the first National to hit 30 home runs in a season since Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto both it did during the team’s run to the World Series title in 2019. The question entering 2026 is can Wood maintain his performance for a full season.
In the first half last season, Wood batted .278 with a .915 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 24 home runs and 69 RBIs. The second half was a different story. Wood’s numbers dropped to .223 with a .690 OPS, seven homers and 25 RBIs. He struck out 221 times in 2025, two away from tying the major league record set by Mark Reynolds. In spite of that, Wood finished with a 132 OPS+.
Wood is so talented it’s easy to forget last year was his first full season in the majors. He put together a campaign most major leaguers in any stage of their career would envy. Expect him to make adjustments and be closer to the hitter he was in the first half.
Will Cade Cavalli break out?
Cade Cavalli will be the starter on opening day against the Cubs. (Nick Wass/AP)
When the Nationals take on the Chicago Cubs on opening day Thursday, Cavalli will be on the mound as the team’s ace — this is what they envisioned when they selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft. But Cavalli’s path to the majors hasn’t been linear.
Cavalli made his major league debut in 2022. He tore his UCL during spring training in 2023 and missed the next two seasons, a result of rehab and setbacks.
“It feels very special,” Cavalli said about starting opening day. “I’m super grateful for that opportunity. It’s been a long road. There’s a lot of days in Florida at the complex where you’re like, ‘Man, is my time ever going to come?’ … It’s just a testament of people around me supporting me.”
Last season, Cavalli returned to the majors and allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of 10 starts. He added a sweeper to his arsenal to attack right-handed hitters. He also said he improved his fastball. And the results were there in the spring, when Cavalli pitched 14 scoreless innings.
Cavalli has the repertoire to stack up with some of the best pitchers in the majors. Now he has to prove he’s durable. His career high in innings pitched is 123 1/3, which came in 2021 across three minor league levels.
How many players will play for the Nationals this season? 
The Nationals are likely to use a high number of players this season. (Hannah Foslien for The Banner)
The record for players used in the majors in a season is 70, a figure the Miami Marlins reached in 2024. The Nationals might not reach that number, but Washington could shuffle its roster frequently.
Last season, starting under interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, the Nationals were active on the waiver wire. That has continued under Toboni, who has also been adding on the margins this week through trades. The 40-man roster at the end of the season could look drastically different than it will on opening day.
The Nationals have pitching depth in Triple-A Rochester, a luxury they haven’t had in the past. They can recall and option relievers based on matchups until they find the ones who can establish themselves in an inexperienced bullpen. They could give opportunities to younger, unproven starters if the big leaguers underperform. And, of course, there are always injuries.
Washington also has three outfield prospects (Dylan Crews, Robert Hassell III and Christian Franklin) who could see time at the major league level if they perform well in Triple-A.
Can the best hitters improve on defense?
Nationals right fielder Daylen Lile aims to improve in the field. (Hannah Foslien for The Banner)
Daylen Lile ended last season on a high note, earning NL Rookie and Player of the Month honors. But when Butera called Lile in the offseason, the 23-year-old outfielder told him “there’s no reason why somebody with my athleticism is not a good defender.” Butera said Lile has looked better this spring.
“He’s worked his tail off this spring on his defense,” Butera said Sunday. “There’s definitely still room to improve. … Just happy with how excited he is and fired up he is to become an all-around player.”
The Nationals finished with 33 outs below average, second worst in baseball behind the Los Angeles Angels. And the Nationals’ best hitters struggled in the field.
Lile finished with eight outs below average. CJ Abrams and Wood had 11 and 7 outs below average, respectively. Luis Garcia Jr., who was inconsistent at second base, made two starts at first base and will get more in 2026. Improvements would be welcome.
How many players will be traded at the deadline? 
Nationals manager Blake Butera, left, with Paul Toboni, the president of baseball operations, during a spring training practice. (Marta Lavandier/AP)
The Nationals are likely to find themselves in a similar position to the last five seasons — open for business at the trade deadline to boost their farm system.
There are obvious players signed to expiring contracts who will be moved if they perform well enough to fetch a worthwhile return: pitchers Foster Griffin, Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas.
They could also move Abrams and outfielder Jacob Young, two promising position players with team control. Both generated trade interest this offseason. Abrams, 25, won’t be a free agent until 2029 but would be an impact bat on any team who’d want to acquire him. Young’s value comes strictly from his glove — he’s been one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball since he debuted in 2023.
The Nationals could also hold on to those players. If they perform well for a full season, that would only raise their value.
Will Dylan Crews return to the majors and show he belongs? 
Dylan Crews will start the season in the Triple-A outfield. (Nick Wass/AP)
The pedigree and promise are there, and the former No. 2 overall pick gave Washington fans a glimpse of his immense talent when he debuted in August 2024 and hit two home runs in his first five games. But it’s been a rocky road ever since.
Last year, he scuffled in April and May before an oblique injury sidelined him for nearly three months. It didn’t get better once Crews returned, and he finished the year with a .208 average and .631 OPS in 85 games. After a dismal spring, the Nationals optioned Crews to Triple-A, giving the 24-year-old a chance to regroup.
Argue all you want about the drawbacks from the way Crews was fast-tracked to the majors under the previous regime. All that matters now is getting the outfielder — once seen as a potential cornerstone — on track to be a productive hitter. This will be one of the first major tests of Toboni’s data-focused approach to developing talent.
Can the Nationals improve their plate discipline? 
Shortstop CJ Abrams takes an at-bat against the Orioles. (Hannah Foslien for The Banner)
Washington has ranked in the bottom third of the majors in chase percentage since 2022. This offseason, the Nationals purchased three Trajekt Arcs, a machine with a big screen and a hole in it. The technology replicates pitchers’ arsenals so, when a ball is fired from the hole, it looks just like it would from the pitcher they’re facing that day.
They purchased one for Washington, another for Rochester and a third at the team’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.
This spring, there have been encouraging signs in small samples. Abrams, who chased in 32.6% of his at-bats a season ago and is not known for his patience, walked in six of his 50 plate appearances. Catcher Keibert Ruiz, whose career high in walks is 31, had five in 43 plate appearances.
How will the team’s first MASN-free season go?
A MASN reporter holds a microphone during a media availability in 2024. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner)
For this one we turn to you, the fans. Are you locked in for Nationals.TV? The team is entering its post-MASN era as one of 14 clubs to have its broadcasts produced by MLB. The league is producing and distributing games for five teams: the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Rockies, Twins and Padres.
Once seen as a windfall for the teams that owned them, regional sports networks are on shaky ground as more consumers move away from cable. Which is to say that more teams could move to a model similar to the one the Nationals are rolling out. That doesn’t mean there won’t be hiccups for this new setup during the course of a 162-game season.
Banner editor Brandon Weigel contributed to this article.