The trade deadline came and went, and the Nationals did what plenty of teams do in that spot: they made their future a priority. Paul Toboni pulled off three trades, and while the moves were aimed mostly at what Washington might become down the road, they also changed the look of the roster right now.
That’s the part that left mixed feelings around the club. Washington fans wanted some version of a push toward 2026, a chance to lean into the surprise success of this season and keep the momentum rolling.
Instead, the deadline made one thing plain: the current Nationals got worse on paper. Luis Garcia Jr., Foster Griffin, and Curtis Mead are gone, replaced in part by the injured Connelly Early and a collection of prospects and arms.
And even after all that movement, there are still a few names hanging around who feel like they’ve already been passed by the organization’s direction.
Miles Mikolas is the clearest example. Washington signed him in the offseason, and the results were rough almost immediately.
In his first two starts, he allowed 15 runs. He has given up the fourth most runs of any pitcher in baseball and the third most home runs, and he still hasn’t logged a quality start.
In 24 starts, he has not once gone six full innings while allowing three runs or fewer. His line tells the story: 3-9 with a 5.89 ERA.
The team’s record in his outings says plenty too. The Nationals have won only nine of his 24 appearances, about 38% of the time.
That’s a sharp contrast to Foster Griffin, in whose 23 games Washington went 17-6. The standards weren’t exactly sky-high, but Mikolas has often put the club behind before the first pitch even settles.
What makes his presence even stranger is that Washington already moved on from another veteran arm, Zack Littell. Littell finished with a better record, 7-8, and a slightly better ERA, 4.97, even if home runs were a major issue for him too.
So if Toboni is willing to cut bait with veteran starters in the middle of the season, Mikolas sticking around stands out. If it were up to the source here, the next stop would be a new one, with Jackson Kent or Luis Perales getting a shot in the rotation.
Jorbit Vivas is in a different spot, but the same basic question hangs over him. Washington picked him up in late March, and for a while he was a steady part of the lineup, appearing in roughly two out of every three games.
That early usefulness has faded badly since July. He hasn’t had a hit in a week, and he has only nine hits since the start of July.
His .233 average and .324 slugging percentage just haven’t been enough.
That matters more on a team that has made player development a priority. With infield help in the minors - specifically Yohandy Morales and Seaver King - Vivas’ defense and cold bat don’t really move the needle anymore.
José Tena lands in a similar conversation. He has bounced around the field this season, but most of his work has come as Washington’s designated hitter, where he’s appeared in 52 games.
The offense hasn’t been strong enough there. Tena is batting .240, with only three home runs and 20 RBIs, and that production doesn’t measure up for a primary DH.
It also falls well short of what James Wood and CJ Abrams have provided.
There’s value in having a player who can fill in anywhere, and Tena has only started five games at a defensive position this season, finishing just one. But versatility only goes so far when the bat isn’t carrying its weight, and when the defense doesn’t compare favorably to Nasim Nunez. Washington can do better at DH.
That’s the thread running through all three names: the Nationals have already signaled a willingness to look ahead, but Mikolas, Vivas, and Tena are still taking up spots that could be used to see what younger players can offer. The more games Washington plays, the more obvious that tension becomes.
In Other News...
Jackson Kent Just Gave The Nationals Rotation Something To Think About
Jackson Kents first turn in a Nationals uniform came with the kind of mixed bag that can still leave a staff noticing. The left-hander made his major league debut against the Cubs, working into the fifth inning while allowing three runs on three hits and five walks, and he also showed enough swing-and-miss to finish with six strikeouts. For a rotation looking for any sign of stability, that kind of debut matters, especially from a pitcher the club has been developing rather than shopping for outside help.
Kents arrival also fit into a larger picture for Washington, which keeps cycling through arms and trying to uncover who can stick. His promotion came after the club moved on from Miles Mikolas, and Kent became the 31st pitcher developed by the Nationals to start a game for them. There is still plenty for the staff to sort through, but a debut like this at least gives them a reason to keep watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Depth Gets Tougher As Rochester Keeps Sending Players Up
Rochester has kept doing two jobs at once for the Nationals this season, winning games in the International League while also acting as the organizations most reliable source of reinforcements. The Red Wings have stayed competitive in the standings even as Washington has dipped into that roster for help, with Dylan Crews and Andrs Chaparro among the players who have moved up after appearing in Triple-A.
For the Nationals, that kind of pipeline is useful and unavoidable, but it also comes with a cost. Every promotion thins out the depth chart a little more, especially on the pitching side and among position players, and Rochester has had to keep reloading while still trying to hold its place in the league race. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Young Is Becoming A Nationals Development Win Nobody Saw Coming
Jacob Youngs offense has become one of the more interesting developments in Washington this season, especially for a player whose value was once built almost entirely on speed and defense. The added power has been backed up by real changes in his underlying hitting profile, with improved launch angle and bat speed showing up alongside a better overall offensive feel. It is the kind of step forward the Nationals have been trying to manufacture throughout their rebuild, and in Youngs case it has come from a mix of coaching and a more refined approach at the plate.
The broader picture matters here, too, because not every young Nationals hitter has made the same kind of leap. The article points to offensive regressions from Nasim Nunez and Daylen Lile, a reminder that development is never linear and that the clubs hitting work has not solved everything at once. Still, Youngs progress suggests Washington may have found a player who is translating those lessons more cleanly than most, and the next question is how much more he can keep adding as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]