The Nationals had plenty to feel good about in 2026, but not everything broke their way.
Washington finished 77-85 and took a step forward from simply treading water, with the offense turning into one of the more encouraging parts of the season. CJ Abrams continued to look like a franchise-caliber piece, Keibert Ruiz put together a career year at the plate, Cade Cavalli emerged as an ace-type arm, and Andrew Alvarez gave the rotation a lift in the second half.
Still, there were two areas that stuck out for all the wrong reasons: Dylan Crews and the bullpen.
Crews entered the season with real hope attached to him. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft had already logged a bit more than half a season in the majors the year before, and the expectation was that he would build on that. Instead, the progress never came.
Washington started him at Triple-A so he could work on his swing and get an “extended spring training”. Once he reached the big leagues, the inconsistency followed him there.
At times he looked completely lost at the plate, even though the raw ability is obvious. Crews still managed career highs in doubles, home runs, and walks, but it wasn’t enough to lock down an everyday job in the Nationals outfield heading into next season.
He’ll be 25 when next season begins, and the clock is starting to feel louder in D.C.
If Crews was one major disappointment, the bullpen was the other - and in some ways, a far uglier one.
It’s a unit that already wasn’t expected to be a strength, but the Nationals’ relievers managed to fall well short even of that modest bar. Washington blew a league-record 42 saves and finished with a 5.12 bullpen ERA, tied for 28th.
Given how many close games went sideways, it’s hard not to look at that number and wonder what the season could have been. Even trimming half of those blown saves would have changed the picture dramatically.
There was never much rhythm in the pen. Injuries hit early and kept the group from settling in.
In all, 21 different pitchers were used in save situations. Clayton Beeter served as the main closer for most of the year, but he was sent down late in the season.
Beyond Brad Lord, Blake Butera never really had a dependable late-inning core to lean on.
The front office tried to get ahead of the problem at the trade deadline, sending Luis Garcia Jr. and Foster Griffin away for a total of eight players, seven of them pitchers at different levels of the pro baseball ladder. If the Nationals are going to keep moving forward next season, rebuilding the bullpen has to be near the top of the list.
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For Washington fans, Susana is the more tantalizing name to watch because of the ceiling that has followed him since he became one of the organizations better prospects. The right-handers first week in the desert only added to that intrigue, with the kind of early October showing that can turn a developmental assignment into appointment viewing for a rebuilding club looking for help down the line. [Read more 🡒]