Paul Toboni’s latest turn on 106.7 The Fan offered a pretty clear read on where the Nationals stand as the Aug. 3 deadline approaches: he sounds ready to work both sides of the market.
Toboni said the calls he’s getting are still in the early, low-pressure stage. “Casual check-ins.
… When you got good players, teams check in.” He also made it plain that the real action figures to come in the 3-to-4 days before the deadline, when trade talks usually get sharper and more serious.
That doesn’t mean the Nationals are shopping everyone. Toboni has already said James Wood is off-limits, and when he was asked specifically about interest in CJ Abrams, he didn’t answer.
On Foster Griffin’s contract, he again sidestepped the question without directly saying he wouldn’t discuss it. That has become his usual move.
The bullpen remains a clear area of focus. Toboni said he is being aggressive in trying to add relief help, but the deal he wants still hasn’t come together.
“... Trying to go get [a trade].
It hasn’t worked out yet. We will still be active in those conversations.
Trying to upgrade any way we can...”
He also said the club still hasn’t fully settled into buyer or seller mode. A record like 62-51 or 51-62, he said, would make the picture much clearer.
As it stands, Toboni seems open to the idea that the Nationals can do a little of both if the standings and the return make sense. Even if the team moves a player, he still believes the postseason remains in play: “I think we have a real shot.”
At the same time, he drew a line on the future. Toboni said he does not want to sacrifice pieces that could hurt the club next season just to chase wins this year. In practical terms, that means he is not looking to move top prospects for a major splash like Tarik Skubal.
The draft side of the operation is already wrapped up. The Nationals signed 18 of their 20 drafted players, including all of their picks from rounds 1 through 10. The two who did not sign were Anthony Murphy, the team’s 16th-round pick from Corona HS and the 108th-ranked prospect, and high schooler Isaiah Galason from Houston County HS.
Murphy’s outcome had become easy to see once the Nationals went extreme overslot on Luke Williams and Cooper Harris, their third- and fourth-round picks. That spending left them without the slot money needed to get Murphy to pass on his college commitment.
The club also announced eight undrafted free-agent signings, and all eight are pitchers. Some were used mostly as relievers, including Trevor Moore, the Stanford closer. Moore posted a 3.92 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 23 walks, and he brings a mid-90s fastball.
The timing of the announcement suggested everything was finalized by yesterday, and the Nationals became the earliest they have ever announced their full signing class. The draft class announcement came 10 days after the draft ended.
There’s also movement coming in the lower minors. Thursday is the final game of the Nationals’ Florida Complex League season, and a source said a few players will be promoted to Single-A Fredericksburg.
Chris Hacopian, the club’s No. 1 draft pick, is also expected to move up at some point. He is currently at the West Palm Beach complex.
For now, all of the signed draft picks are at the West Palm Beach facility, and the next step will be seeing which names start showing up in minor league games.
In Other News...
Nationals Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Twist Few Fans Expected
The trade deadline picture in Washington has shifted in a way few expected a few weeks ago. Sitting at 52-52 and still hanging around the wild-card race, the Nationals are no longer approaching the market as a club focused only on subtraction, and they are now evaluating ways to bring in at least one big-league player who can help right away.
The needs are obvious enough: the bullpen has been a problem, and the rotation still leaves plenty of questions if the season stretches into October. Even while the front office continues to listen on some current major leaguers, the bigger question now is whether the Nationals can thread the needle between staying competitive and making the kind of deadline move that actually changes their outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch This Rehab Start Closely
Trevor Williams rehab assignment in Rochester gave Nationals fans a useful checkpoint on a pitcher the club will be tracking closely, even if the Red Wings came up short in a 7-6 loss to Buffalo. Around the system, there were brighter notes: Harrisburg blanked Reading 3-0 behind a strong staff effort, Wilmington rolled past Hudson Valley 9-1, and Fredericksburg handled Fayetteville 4-1.
The developmental side of the organization had a few small milestones worth noting, too, with Miguel Sime Jr. picking up his first career win for Wilmington and Juan Reyes earning his first Low-A win for Fredericksburg. The DSL Nationals also saw a three-game winning streak end in a 6-4 loss to the DSL Mets Orange, a reminder that even on a busy night across the affiliates, the most closely watched box score was the one tied to a big-league arm trying to work his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Fans Just Got A Better Way To Track Game Day Weather
Fans keeping an eye on the Nationals this season will have a more focused weather guide built into the teams game-day coverage. Washingtons reporting around Nationals Park is teaming with Capital Weather to deliver forecasts aimed specifically at the ballpark, giving readers a clearer sense of what conditions could mean for a given night at the yard.
The new setup centers on NatCast, a forecast product designed for days when weather could affect the game, and it will be folded into The Nats Reports previews and live updates. The idea is to keep fans informed as conditions change, whether the concern is a delay before first pitch, storms moving nearby, or weather shifting once the game is underway. [Read more 🡒]