The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason with a clear shopping list, and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni isn’t hiding from it. He’s talking about bullpen help, rotation upgrades and left-handed bats, while also making it plain that the club plans to work both the free-agent market and the trade market.
That approach fits the way Toboni framed the Nationals’ position heading into the winter. He said, “Generally speaking, future payroll flexibility is a really good thing.
I’m happy that we’re in this spot that we’re in. What I would say is that there are creative ways to actually use that payroll, whether it’s actually going out and signing free agents or extensions or whatever it might be.
What we want to do is - regardless of how we’re going to use the payroll - do it in a way that sets us up, hopefully, to be a much better team next year, but then be a really good team into the future.”
He also cautioned against assuming the offense will simply hold steady. “I don’t think we can go into next year just thinking it’s a given (the offense stays as good as 2026). … Wherever the roster could benefit most from either internal development or promotions or trying to go out and sign players that play those positions obviously, we’re going to be super open-minded on it.”
The free-agent pool has shifted since the end of the regular season, with several players opting out of contracts and others seeing mutual options declined. That has widened the market, and the Nationals should have plenty of starting pitchers and relievers to evaluate.
The tougher fit is on the left-handed bat side, especially at first base, where the list of realistic options is thin beyond Jake Bauers and perhaps Luis Arraez if he were willing to play first base again. Josh Bell is also in the mix, though the source notes he is more of a DH at this point.
Toboni also made it clear he won’t limit the bullpen search to traditional closers. “I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole us into just going after guys that have ninth-inning experience. Not to say it’s not important; it’s just that there are countless relievers across the league that aren’t throwing in the ninth inning that are really good arms that we’d love to have,” - Toboni said
While the bigger offseason decisions loom, Washington already made a move, acquiring infielder Nate Furman from the San Francisco Giants for left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck, an undrafted free agent signed in July. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Nationals designated Richard Lovelady for assignment.
Furman, 25, is a left-handed hitter who could end up in the mix with Jorbit Vivas and Nasim Nunez in spring training. He hit .293 with 25 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 48 RBI, 52 walks, 19 stolen bases and 63 runs scored in 102 games for Triple-A Sacramento in 2026. He also reached the majors for the first time with San Francisco on Aug. 1 and played in 22 games, making eight starts at second base while collecting four hits, three RBIs, five walks and two runs scored.
Over four minor league seasons from 2023 through 2026, Furman walked 169 times and struck out 166 times, while posting a .292/.400/.404 slash line. Before the 2026 season, Baseball America labeled him the “Best Strike-Zone Discipline” player in San Francisco’s system.
Furman was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina by the Cleveland Guardians. The Giants later acquired him on Aug. 26, 2024, as the player to be named later in the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb to Cleveland.
On the trade front, there are several ideas floating around Washington’s needs. If the Nationals decide to chase a left-handed bat via trade, one possibility would be a reunion with Luis Garcia Jr. in a deal with the New York Yankees. That would allow Washington to deal from an area of depth, with right-handed first basemen Andres Chaparro and Yohandy Morales already on the MLB roster and Ethan Petry rising in the upper minors.
Another option mentioned is Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson, though the source notes that would require a prospect package to land him.
There’s also the possibility of looking for a platoon answer in the outfield if James Wood shifts into a larger DH role to reduce the wear on his legs and cut down his outfield reps. In that scenario, Trevor Larnach could be a stop-gap left-handed bat, and the Twins were reportedly trying to move him at the trade deadline.
Starting pitching remains another area to watch, though the trade market is thin. The source points to Carmen Mlodzinski as a name that could be available.
And then there’s CJ Abrams, whose name is expected to surface in trade chatter unless Toboni shuts it down. The source says the hope is that Toboni ends the speculation before it starts and declares Abrams off limits, but that has not happened. Manager Blake Butera, meanwhile, is treating Abrams like a middle infielder heading into spring.
“We’re going to see what [Abrams] looks like in Spring Training,” said Butera. “I think what he’s shown us at second base, he’s been unbelievable over there.
But he’s also been unbelievable at shortstop since we had that conversation, right? So I think that he’s absolutely earned an opportunity to continue to work at that this offseason.
And if he plays shortstop the way that he did these last, whatever it is, six weeks or so, that’s a good shortstop.”
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