With the season winding down and the Nationals already out of the postseason chase, Washington’s attention has shifted to something bigger than the standings: 2027.
Inside the clubhouse, manager Blake Butera and his staff are using the final month to sort out what comes next. The goal now is less about the day-to-day result and more about figuring out which players need what over the winter, and how the organization can best build each guy up for the future.
That means evaluating players like left-handed reliever Jared Simpson and infielder Yohandy Morales as they settle into the majors, while also identifying the specific areas where the roster can improve.
“There’ll always be new things, but I think the big rocks in terms of bat speed and angle will always be there,” Butera said regarding winter development goals.
“Just from what we’ve learned this year, we’ve got a chance to evaluate which guys need more of that. Where last year, we did have a chance to spend a year with these guys to understand who could really benefit from the bat speed program. Who could really benefit from a mound velo program that might last six to eight weeks?”
The Nationals are also using this stretch to set benchmarks for players who arrived on different timelines. Some got to the big leagues quickly. Others took the long road through the minors or fought through injuries before finally breaking through.
“They’ve all gotten here in different ways, and I think that’s the case with almost all Major League players,” Butera said on Friday.
“You learn when times are tough, how did you respond vs. the guy that maybe had the clear path up here? And I don’t think any of the ones that we have really gotten recently have had a clear, easy path the way up here.
You look at Tolman, just given the injury history and the stuff that he’s had to do. The Jared Simpsons, of course, the Jack Sinclairs, as you mentioned, have taken a long time.
They all have unique trials and tribulations they’ve gone through to get here.”
That includes recent additions like Simpson, Jack Sinclair and Erik Tolman, along with more established pieces already in the clubhouse. Washington is trying to map out offseason programs that are specific, not generic - and that takes coordination between the coaching staff, medical group and strength-and-conditioning staff.
“There are guys on our team right now, and there’s also Minor League guys,” Butera noted regarding who will participate in specialized training programs.
“You can honestly say every hitter on our team could benefit from an increase in bat speed, right? I think you could also say every pitcher on our team could benefit from an increase in velocity.
But it’s also looking at how much work they’ve put in this year. A guy that’s thrown a ton of innings, we need to make sure that the velo program for him is going to be at the right time.
So we’re mixing in medical and S&C performance side, of course, to button those things up vs. a hitter that maybe didn’t spend a ton of time up here, maybe missed some time about bats.”
For Washington, the last four weeks won’t change the standings. But they do give the team’s young core a chance to keep building, and they give the club the baseline information it needs to shape the winter before pitchers and catchers report in February.
In Other News...
CJ Abrams Still Has One Big Nationals Question Hanging Over Him
The Nationals have spent the last couple of weeks testing a new path for CJ Abrams, and the latest update suggests they are willing to keep experimenting. After moving him off shortstop in mid-August because of defensive issues, Washington had him debut at second base, where the early looks have been encouraging. It is part of a broader late-season evaluation for a club that is still sorting out pieces for the future, while also tracking the progress of pitchers Connelly Early, Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli as they work through injury recoveries and recent game activity.
Abrams next step is still the interesting one, because the Nationals are not treating this as a simple one-position answer. The more they see him handle the middle infield, the more they can weigh what fits best for him and for the roster, and that decision carries plenty of implications beyond the final weeks of this season. For now, Washington has at least given itself a useful look, and Abrams has given the club reason to keep the conversation going. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Bullpen Suddenly Has Homegrown Arms Fans Need To Watch
A sudden wave of homegrown relief help has given the Nationals bullpen a different look, with Erik Tolman, Jared Simpson and Jack Sinclair all getting their first extended taste of the majors after being developed inside the organization. For a club that always has an eye on whether its pitching pipeline is producing real depth, the early returns have been encouraging, especially since all three arrived as late-round draft picks and have shown sharper command than many expected.
Tolman has been the most eye-opening of the group, working into high-leverage innings and missing bats without giving much away, while Simpson handled his debut like a pitcher who belonged in the moment. Sinclair has also made an immediate impression with a confident first outing, giving the Nationals a trio of young arms worth tracking as the season unfolds. The bigger question now is how long this burst of poise and control can hold once opposing lineups get a second look. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Got An Intriguing Look At Two Very Different Young Arms
A game against the Dodgers gave the Nationals a useful snapshot of two young arms at different points in their development. Jackson Kent was on the mound for his fifth big league start, and the rookie left the outing having worked five innings as Washington tried to see how his stuff would hold up against a lineup with real postseason-level teeth.
The more immediate spark came from Jack Sinclair, who was called on for his Major League debut and handled the eighth inning cleanly. Washington ended up on the short end of a 5-3 loss, but nights like this still matter for a club sorting through its pitching future, especially when one arm is trying to settle in and another is just arriving on the scene. [Read more 🡒]