R.J. Sales took the ball and kept the Javelinas in check for a while, but Salt River’s season ended with a 6-5 loss that pushed him two batters too far.
Sales was tagged for runs in the first, second and fourth innings, and only one of his innings came clean. He finished with five runs allowed on seven hits and one walk across three and a third innings. He threw 69 pitches, 41 for strikes, and struck out four.
Three other Nationals were in the lineup behind him. Kevin Bazzell caught and hit fifth, going 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Teo Banks batted eighth, played right field and finished 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base. Noah Dean entered in the seventh and was charged with an unearned run after two hits and two errors in the inning.
The loss closes the Nationals’ 2026 season and opens the 2026-27 offseason. It also marks season No. 16, or 17 if you count the summer of “On this day” in 2020, and the third season with Jerry sending in pics from the desert. Hope the Mrs. is doing better.
With the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster three days away, Mr. Boss is already on it. The Rule 5 draft would normally be part of the conversation, but the smart money is on there not being one, just like there wasn’t during the last lockout in 2021-22.
The expectation here is that teams will make their moves as if a draft is coming anyway. That includes the Angels, who are the only club the writer thinks is dumb enough to act as if there won’t be one.
There’s also little reason to believe this lockout won’t happen or won’t drag on as long as the last one. That may be why MLB is considering the “nuclear option” - decertifying the MLBPA - something the NFL and NBA have used successfully in labor fights with ownership.
The reason the owners are especially testy this time, in the writer’s view, is the drying up of RSN revenue and the relative shortage of national TV money compared with the NFL and NBA. Gambling money, the article says, does not appear to be making up the difference, and the players still have never been shown the books. It also doesn’t help that one of the owners recently admitted what everyone already knows.
In Other News...
Marlins Just Added A Familiar Name In A Very Different Role
The Marlins made a notable front-office addition this week by bringing in former outfielder Trayce Thompson for a baseball operations role, a move that also signals the end of his playing days. For a division rival like the Nationals, it is another reminder that the offseason is not only about roster churn on the field, but also about the people being added behind the scenes as clubs reshape how they evaluate and develop talent.
Around the league, the pitching market is still moving too, with the Braves signing reliever Evan Phillips and the Tigers adding Emilio Pagan while both teams remain linked to a possible reunion with Raisel Iglesias. Washington has made its own back-office move by hiring John Morris as its new vice president of baseball research, a step that fits into the broader push to sharpen the organizations decision-making even as other NL East clubs keep tweaking their own infrastructure. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Are Betting Their Pitching Fix Starts Far From The Mound
The Nationals are treating their pitching overhaul as more than a simple search for arms. This offseason, the organization has put real emphasis on building up the infrastructure around the staff, adding John Morris as vice president of baseball research and David Besky as pitching strategist while also looking to expand both the analytics and scouting sides of the operation. It is a clear sign the club wants better answers on the mound, but also better processes behind the scenes.
Washington also plans to bring in more pro scouts, a move aimed at sharpening player evaluation and giving the front office more ways to identify pitching help. The hope is that these changes will show up not just in acquisitions, but in how the Nationals develop pitchers and shape the staff for the 2027 season. The work is early, and the payoff is still ahead, but the direction is obvious: the fix is starting well before anyone throws a pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Jarlin Susana Just Gave Nationals Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Jarlin Susanas trip to the 2026 Arizona Fall League was about more than just getting innings. After missing significant time because of injuries, the right-hander was sent there to regain competitive mound time and keep building toward the kind of impact arm the Nationals have been hoping to develop. Instead, he left with a louder statement than anyone could have expected, finishing as the AFL Pitcher of the Year after leading the league in strikeouts and flashing the kind of high-velocity fastball that still turns heads.
For a Washington organization that has spent plenty of time waiting on young pitching to take a step forward, Susanas showing offered a welcome dose of optimism. Assistant general manager Devin Pearson said he was pleased with both the performance and the development Susana showed in the league, and the Nationals will now have a clearer sense of where the right-hander stands after a lost stretch in his career. The bigger question is how much of that momentum carries into his next stage, because the raw material is obvious and the ceiling remains one of the more intriguing ones in the system. [Read more 🡒]