Your Spring 2026 Washington Nationals Cheat Sheet
It's a new era in DC. Like, genuinely new — new front office, new manager, new prospects. Here's everything you need to know.
The regime change.
After a brutal 66-96 season in 2025, the Nats blew the whole thing up. Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez were both dismissed mid-season in July. In came 35-year-old Paul Toboni from the Red Sox as the new President of Baseball Operations, 31-year-old Anirudh Kilambi as the new GM, Blake Butera — the youngest Manager in the MLB at 33 years old. This team is young at every single level, including the people running it.
Key dates.
- Spring Training started: Feb. 21 in West Palm Beach, FL
- Spring Training ends: ~March 25
- Opening Day: March 26 @ Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field) — earliest in franchise history
- Home Opener: April 3 vs. the defending World Champion LA Dodgers at Nationals Park
The expected lineup.
Here's basically what Butera put out for the Venezuela exhibition — likely close to Opening Day:
- Nasim Nunez — 2B
- James Wood — LF/RF
- CJ Abrams — SS
- Luis García Jr. — 1B
- Daylen Lile — RF
- Dylan Crews — CF
- Brady House — 3B
- Harry Ford — C
- DH TBD
The guy you need to watch.
James Wood. Full stop. He's the linchpin of this offense after earning his first All-Star selection last year. He's 23 and from the DMV. The ceiling is enormous. This spring, Butera is experimenting with Wood in right field to open up more lineup flexibility — because they have so many outfielders they want on the field at once, it's a nice problem to have.
The big question mark.
Dylan Crews. The #2 overall pick in 2023, the heir apparent — and he hasn't put it together yet. He hit .208 with a .631 OPS last year in an injury-shortened season, and plate discipline has been a real issue. Butera's message this spring: relax, just be yourself. "We've told Dylan numerous times just how special of a player he is," Butera said. "The sky is the limit." This is the year he either breaks out or the conversation gets uncomfortable.
Worth noting: Daylen Lile had a breakout 2025 — .845 OPS, 11 triples in just 91 games. He's quietly becoming a real piece of this outfield core.
Pitching — the rotation is a mess, but in a fixable way.
DJ Herz and Trevor Williams are both starting the year on the IL rehabbing from elbow surgeries. The rest is a wide-open competition:
- Cade Cavalli — the would-be ace, mid-to-upper 90s stuff, but has battled injuries his entire career. Looking to establish himself as the #1 this year. Strong spring start vs. the Astros this week is a good sign.
- Jake Irvin — veteran rotation piece, reliable innings eater
- Brad Lord — surprise breakout last year, 4.29 ERA in 19 starts as a 26-year-old in his first MLB season
- Mitchell Parker — young lefty with rotation upside
- Josiah Gray — former top prospect, back from two years of Tommy John recovery
- Miles Mikolas — veteran arm, 11th MLB season, here to add stability and experience
- Riley Cornelio — 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, already turning heads in camp
The farm system — actually something to get excited about.
MLB Pipeline's top Nationals prospects heading into 2026:
- Eli Willits (SS) — #1 overall pick in 2025, #13 prospect in all of baseball. Switch-hitter, elite athlete, 18 years old. The crown jewel.
- Travis Sykora (RHP) — video game minor league numbers last year (15+ K/9, 1.20 FIP), but now out all of 2026 with Tommy John. Future ace if healthy.
- Harry Ford (C) — acquired from Seattle this offseason, expected to be the long-awaited answer at catcher.
- Jarlin Susana (RHP) — 100+ mph fastball, elite breaking ball, but injury concerns and real questions about whether he stays a starter.
Keith Law of The Athletic has the farm ranked 6th best in baseball, noting how aggressively Toboni has restocked it. The pipeline is legitimately deep.
The big picture.
This isn't expected to be a playoff team. Not this year. But it's not depressing either — it's young, watchable, and building toward something real. The next 2-3 seasons will tell us whether this core becomes the next great Nationals team, or another rebuild that never quite crested. The bones are good. Watch Wood, root for Crews to figure it out, keep an eye on Lile as a sleeper, and get familiar with Eli Willits — because you're going to be hearing that name a lot.