C'mon y'all, you know Mark spends his time keeping up with news from the team and around the league. You think the man has time to be reading, like, Lord of the Rings? ;)
I don't know what happened to the original question about what books I read in line at the airport, but for the record: On the plane, I'm a music and podcast listener. And sleeper! And stare-out-the-window admiring this glorious planet of ours from seven miles up!
What is the most glaring weakness the Nats have this year and does it have the potential to be fixed by call-ups/mid-season acquisitions? And if it doesn’t, do you have faith in the new administration to tackle this in development? Bullpen, hitting, fielding, and baserunning have all seemed to be points of contention since the beginning of June last year. Want to know what I’ll be cursing at my TV the most about this year.
And just as an aside, thank you so much for everything you do! Longtime listener of the Nats Chat podcast but first year where I’m reading your columns. Following this team would be a far inferior experience without you. I’ll be at the Saturday and Sunday games in Wrigley all caught up on where this team stands.
Thanks so much, Jonathan. It's been great to hear how many longtime readers have discovered the podcast, and how many longtime podcast listeners have discovered this site! Anyone else going to be at Wrigley this weekend? Maybe we need to arrange a meet-up before one of the games!
As far as glaring weaknesses go, I came into camp thinking it would be the pitching staff. I come out of camp thinking it might be the lineup. Suffice it to say, it was a strange spring in that regard. I do think there is potential for several guys to be promoted along the way who will help out: Harry Ford, Dylan Crews (yes, him), Robert Hassell III, Christian Franklin, Seaver King, Yohandy Morales. Not saying they'll all come up and all contribute, but I'd guess at least a few of them do. On the pitching side, we should see the likes of Riley Cornelio, Luis Perales and hopefully Jarlin Susana before season's end. I suspect the roster is going to look very different in September than it does in March!
Thanks so much for your response! I definitely had the same flip over the course of spring training, two months ago I never would’ve believed the rotation would be looking solid and Crews/Wood/Abrams/etc. would look concerning.
I’d absolutely be down for a Wrigley meet-up. Won’t quite make it into Chicago for opening day but something for either of the weekend games I’d be there.
Mark, it appears this front office staff sees less of a bright line between the majors and minors. Even so, progress would still be measured at the majors level. If not wins/losses, what do you think those progress markers should be and when is it reasonable to look for them?
This was a popular question for Blake Butera and Paul Toboni this spring: What does success look like in 2026? You're right that it may not involve wins and losses. I would say it's more about individual progress. If they get to the end of the season and James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, Brady House, Dylan Crews (yes, him), Harry Ford, Cade Cavalli and other potential core pieces have shown real improvement, that makes this a successful season. And then perhaps makes wins and losses more important in 2027.
Mark - Other MLB teams are locking up their arbitration eligible players on long term deals. Rizzo wasn’t a huge advocate of it (Ruiz notwithstanding). Do you believe Toboni is open to signing guys like Wood and Abram’s to long term deals? I know the Boras Effect plays a role but I’m more curious what Toboni’s mindset is there
I don't think it's accurate at all to say Mike Rizzo "wasn't a huge advocate" of locking up young players. He absolutely wanted to do it, and tried to do it several cases. Those deals didn't happen because the players (and their agents) didn't agree to them. And because ownership wasn't willing to increase initial offers to those players in hopes they might be swayed. I'm sure Rizzo would've happily inked James Wood to a long-term extension one year ago. I don't know if any actual offer was ever made, but knowing Scott Boras, I never would've expected him to greenlight it anyway. We will see if anything changes under the Toboni administration, but my hunch is that this issue has less to do with him and far more to do with players and owners.
There’s been some chatter that Dylan Crews is a little more apprehensive to the analytics and technology that the new coaching staff and front office is bringing to the organization. Have you gotten that sense? It’s a fine line between having too much data thrown at you vs. doing what you feel is more natural, especially as a hitter. The hope is that the coaching staff can work with Dylan on what he feels most comfortable with while also introducing new ideas that don’t overwhelm or frustrate him. Thanks for all you do!
Where is that so-called "chatter" coming from? I haven't seen it myself, nor have I heard it. In fact, I've yet to hear from any player in the Nats clubhouse who doesn't appreciate the changes the new coaching staff and front office have instituted.
Now, having said that, I think there are a million things swirling through Crews' head right now. He was coached a certain way at LSU. Then he was coached a certain way once he joined the Nationals (and it may not have been consistent from the minors to the majors). He's been coached a certain way from his own people he works with at home. And now he's being coached a new way from the new Nats organization. That's a lot of different messaging in a short amount of time, with a three-month IL stint thrown into the middle of it last summer as well. He clearly looked lost this spring, and more than that, he looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, pressing all the time to make something positive happen. The Nationals are hoping some time in Rochester will allow him to relax and start implementing what they're teaching him. If it works, it was the right move to demote him. If, however, he puts even more pressure on himself to make it back ... well, that would be a nightmare scenario for everyone.
I agree. Also, the Nats did him no favors by using him to promote the team in its publicity, just putting more pressure on him to be the star. That said, if he doesnt come out of the funk he is in, it will be a huge whiff as a #2 overall pick. Hopefully AAA will allow him to find the abiliy that made him a consensus top 1-2 pick.
IMO, there is difference between saying he hasn’t heard crews has issue with all the new data etc vs debunking what someone else has said/heard. Both could be true.
I'm a little late to the party, but my question piggybacks off of this one.
Is there any sense that the organization may have Crews stick to one outfield position in Rochester to limit the things he has to focus on? I can't imagine the big league outfield carousel was helping anything.
Yes! I would say the list of promising young players who we could see either sometime this season or next include pitchers Riley Cornelio, Luis Perales, Jarlin Susana (late-2026) and Travis Sykora (2027). On the position player front: Harry Ford, Christian Franklin, Seaver King, Yohandy Morales, Andrew Pinckney and (not in MLB camp, but still promising young minor leaguers who will debut in a few years) Eli Willits and Gavin Fien.
Thanks for everything so far Mark this has been great! So far the Nats have been very busy on the waiver wire. With the rumors of Luis Matos likely being placed on waivers do you see the Nats being interested especially with Tena and Yorbit on the roster it seems like Tena might be expendable. If not Matos maybe someone else? Thanks!
The moment the Nationals traded for Jorbit Vivas on Sunday, I immediately assumed that meant Jose Tena would be out of work before Opening Day. They're the exact same player (left-handed backup infielders) and by all accounts Vivas is better. But as we sit here with slightly more than two hours to go until Opening Day rosters must be announced, Tena is still on the roster and the Nats are down to 26 players. Could a waiver pickup be coming before noon that would prompt a corresponding move? Maybe. Or maybe they'll go into tomorrow's game with only four outfielders and seven infielders. Either way, I wouldn't expect that arrangement to last for long. I just don't see how Tena would ever get playing time on this roster.
Definitely came out of nowhere. From what I can tell, the Nats view Vivas as better than Jose Tena, both at the plate and in the field. Did they need to give up a prospect (even if Sean Paul Linan wasn't an elite prospect, he was a prospect) to acquire a guy who would've been available via waivers anyway? That part is confusing to me, but maybe they had reason to believe the Yankees would've traded Vivas to another team first.
Are there any players from other teams who are out of options and on the cusp of being DFAed before rosters are finalized that the Nationals might have their eyes on?
I think that's been very much on their minds the last few days as teams have been whittling down their rosters to 26. The Nats are already at 26, and it's possible there won't be enough time to add someone new before today's 12 p.m. deadline. But that doesn't mean they couldn't still pick someone up after Opening Day. More and more, I've come to understand this organization isn't prioritizing who's on the roster Opening Day. It's going to be in state of constant change throughout the season.
What is the team buy in with the new management? How are they responding to Butera? What does he seem like with the players? Have you noticed any players really responding well to the new group?
This was probably my No. 1 question at the start of spring training: Would these players buy-in to their 33-year-old manager (who never spent a day above Single-A before) and their 35-year-old president of baseball operations? And the answer is ... yes. That answer was consistent throughout the clubhouse. I think it probably helped that Butera, Toboni and coaches already began building relationships with players over the winter, so it's not like the showed up to spring training without ever speaking to them before. But over the course of six weeks, those relationships grew stronger and it does seem like there's genuine buy-in across the board.
Now, the one caveat I've made throughout this process: Will everyone still believe in each other if (more likely when) this team starts losing? How will Butera handle a long losing streak? Sloppy play? Players upset about their roles? That's the true test of his staying power as a manager.
I see that after you taped the pod yesterday the Nats acquired infielder Zack Short from the Yankees. Another guy that can play multiple infield positions.
Can't imagine there's room for him on the 26-man. Is he headed to AAA? They've really loaded up on these infielders.
P.S. You were right all along on the broadcast announcement. Opening Day morning!
Short isn't on the 40-man roster. He was in minor-league camp with the Yankees. So he goes straight to Rochester and doesn't take anyone else's roster spot really. I think it's just a move to make sure they have more organizational depth.
Just a quick reminder that T Mobile is giving away a year of MLB TV with your T Mobile account but you have to activate by March 31 it took me to using their T-Life app to get it activated we shall see how well this works
Yes that was my experience also had to turn the App to finish process and even then try again before it worked now later I will try my other streaming devices Roku and Android and maybe Firestick which is become a real problem with Bezo Enshittifcation of Everything
Mark, your column yesterday that explained the current reality — that the Nats still aren’t very good — was fair but pointed. Do the players or team ever push back or complain about what you write?
Sure. I wouldn't be doing my job well if I never got the occasional complaint from anyone employed by the team. For what it's worth, I haven't had anyone reach out to me yet about yesterday's column, but maybe I'll hear something tomorrow in Chicago. Regardless, in my experience (and this applies to all sports journalists) most players/managers/GMs understand we're going to write critical pieces sometimes. And as long as what we write is accurate, and not personal, and as long as we've established credibility with them over time as a face they see every day throughout the season, they respect it's all part of the job. What they don't like is when someone who's not around on a regular basis writes something negative (or worse, inaccurate) and then isn't available to discuss it with them after the fact.
The Nats were bad last year and, on paper, they look like they could be even worse this year after trading their ace and closer and not adding anyone of note except some prospects like Ford. In what areas do you think they could actually be better this year than last year?
Good question! I think the hope coming into camp was that they'd be better at the so-called little things. Baserunning. Defense. Unfortunately, they didn't show much of that this spring. But maybe that's a longer process and we will see improvement there as the season plays out. What they did do well this spring was pitch. They had the lowest ERA in the majors! Does that translate into the regular season? I have no idea. But I would suspect the pitching staff will ultimately be better in 2026 than it was in 2025. Not that there's anywhere to go but up.
Mark, the Grapefruit games were very surprising to me in a couple of ways. One -- no one (except Brady House) hit at all. Dylan Crews was the most glaring example but James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, all of whom are expected to carry the offense, were pretty bone dry. Is this something to worry about long term or are these players trying to adjust to the new analytics they are being given by the new management?
Two-- the pitching was much better than anticipated, both starters and relievers. I was highly encouraged by the performances of Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin, and almost everyone in the bullpen that made the team. Is this a mirage or is the pitching staff better than we all thought going into the spring?
I am grappling with those same questions, Ray. These spring performances were exactly the opposite of what I expected. I thought the Nats lineup would be less of a concern than the pitching staff, but that's not how it played out. Does any of this translate into the season? I would guess somewhat, but not entirely. Obviously, this isn't going to be the best pitching staff in baseball. I like Cavalli a lot, and I think Irvin could take a step forward after a dismal 2025. But we really didn't see much of the three veteran starters in Grapefruit League games, and I don't have super-high hopes for them. On the flip side, I think Wood, Lile and Abrams will all be fine. Better than fine. Good-to-great. There will be an adjustment period for everyone, but I think we'll start to get a sense what this team really is by the end of April.
Curious where you think the "lack of communication" has been. Paul Toboni wrote his lengthy "state of the franchise" letter to fans at the Winter Meetings and pretty much explained there they're focused on long-term over short-term success. And he's done a ton of interviews this spring, repeating much of the same mantra. Blake Butera speaks every day and I think has done a good job conveying his message. Ownership? Sure, they've always been quiet. But by all accounts, it does seem like they've handed the keys to the operation over to Toboni and let him do what he wants to do.
Maybe on the TV front they haven't offered enough updates for fans as we approach Opening Day. But I think some of that comes from MLB, which controls this entire ordeal and decides what will be announced when.
Lines at the airport back to normal. Problem solved.
As, yes, the perpetually perfect problem-solvers, did it again….sigh….
Lines or not, I’d love to know what book(s) Mark brings on travel. That’s an excellent queation!
C'mon y'all, you know Mark spends his time keeping up with news from the team and around the league. You think the man has time to be reading, like, Lord of the Rings? ;)
Good point!! :-)
With the amount of time he spends with his phone in Airplane Mode over a whole season, he could probably finish the whole trilogy. LOL
I don't know what happened to the original question about what books I read in line at the airport, but for the record: On the plane, I'm a music and podcast listener. And sleeper! And stare-out-the-window admiring this glorious planet of ours from seven miles up!
It's probably a coincidence but today, March 25 is annually Tolkien Reading Day!
What is the most glaring weakness the Nats have this year and does it have the potential to be fixed by call-ups/mid-season acquisitions? And if it doesn’t, do you have faith in the new administration to tackle this in development? Bullpen, hitting, fielding, and baserunning have all seemed to be points of contention since the beginning of June last year. Want to know what I’ll be cursing at my TV the most about this year.
And just as an aside, thank you so much for everything you do! Longtime listener of the Nats Chat podcast but first year where I’m reading your columns. Following this team would be a far inferior experience without you. I’ll be at the Saturday and Sunday games in Wrigley all caught up on where this team stands.
Thanks so much, Jonathan. It's been great to hear how many longtime readers have discovered the podcast, and how many longtime podcast listeners have discovered this site! Anyone else going to be at Wrigley this weekend? Maybe we need to arrange a meet-up before one of the games!
As far as glaring weaknesses go, I came into camp thinking it would be the pitching staff. I come out of camp thinking it might be the lineup. Suffice it to say, it was a strange spring in that regard. I do think there is potential for several guys to be promoted along the way who will help out: Harry Ford, Dylan Crews (yes, him), Robert Hassell III, Christian Franklin, Seaver King, Yohandy Morales. Not saying they'll all come up and all contribute, but I'd guess at least a few of them do. On the pitching side, we should see the likes of Riley Cornelio, Luis Perales and hopefully Jarlin Susana before season's end. I suspect the roster is going to look very different in September than it does in March!
Thanks so much for your response! I definitely had the same flip over the course of spring training, two months ago I never would’ve believed the rotation would be looking solid and Crews/Wood/Abrams/etc. would look concerning.
I’d absolutely be down for a Wrigley meet-up. Won’t quite make it into Chicago for opening day but something for either of the weekend games I’d be there.
Will be there tomorrow for opening day! Might not be the best Nats season but it's exciting to have baseball back
I'm so jealous. My son lives in Chicago and had I known there would be 70 degree weather on Opening Day I would have taken a trip!
Mark, it appears this front office staff sees less of a bright line between the majors and minors. Even so, progress would still be measured at the majors level. If not wins/losses, what do you think those progress markers should be and when is it reasonable to look for them?
This was a popular question for Blake Butera and Paul Toboni this spring: What does success look like in 2026? You're right that it may not involve wins and losses. I would say it's more about individual progress. If they get to the end of the season and James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, Brady House, Dylan Crews (yes, him), Harry Ford, Cade Cavalli and other potential core pieces have shown real improvement, that makes this a successful season. And then perhaps makes wins and losses more important in 2027.
Mark - Other MLB teams are locking up their arbitration eligible players on long term deals. Rizzo wasn’t a huge advocate of it (Ruiz notwithstanding). Do you believe Toboni is open to signing guys like Wood and Abram’s to long term deals? I know the Boras Effect plays a role but I’m more curious what Toboni’s mindset is there
I don't think it's accurate at all to say Mike Rizzo "wasn't a huge advocate" of locking up young players. He absolutely wanted to do it, and tried to do it several cases. Those deals didn't happen because the players (and their agents) didn't agree to them. And because ownership wasn't willing to increase initial offers to those players in hopes they might be swayed. I'm sure Rizzo would've happily inked James Wood to a long-term extension one year ago. I don't know if any actual offer was ever made, but knowing Scott Boras, I never would've expected him to greenlight it anyway. We will see if anything changes under the Toboni administration, but my hunch is that this issue has less to do with him and far more to do with players and owners.
There’s been some chatter that Dylan Crews is a little more apprehensive to the analytics and technology that the new coaching staff and front office is bringing to the organization. Have you gotten that sense? It’s a fine line between having too much data thrown at you vs. doing what you feel is more natural, especially as a hitter. The hope is that the coaching staff can work with Dylan on what he feels most comfortable with while also introducing new ideas that don’t overwhelm or frustrate him. Thanks for all you do!
Where is that so-called "chatter" coming from? I haven't seen it myself, nor have I heard it. In fact, I've yet to hear from any player in the Nats clubhouse who doesn't appreciate the changes the new coaching staff and front office have instituted.
Now, having said that, I think there are a million things swirling through Crews' head right now. He was coached a certain way at LSU. Then he was coached a certain way once he joined the Nationals (and it may not have been consistent from the minors to the majors). He's been coached a certain way from his own people he works with at home. And now he's being coached a new way from the new Nats organization. That's a lot of different messaging in a short amount of time, with a three-month IL stint thrown into the middle of it last summer as well. He clearly looked lost this spring, and more than that, he looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, pressing all the time to make something positive happen. The Nationals are hoping some time in Rochester will allow him to relax and start implementing what they're teaching him. If it works, it was the right move to demote him. If, however, he puts even more pressure on himself to make it back ... well, that would be a nightmare scenario for everyone.
I agree. Also, the Nats did him no favors by using him to promote the team in its publicity, just putting more pressure on him to be the star. That said, if he doesnt come out of the funk he is in, it will be a huge whiff as a #2 overall pick. Hopefully AAA will allow him to find the abiliy that made him a consensus top 1-2 pick.
I’m glad Mark cleared this up and debunked what AJ Pierzinsky said on Foul Territory.
Time stamp 8:00
https://youtu.be/CzuKvJUoix4?si=YMmgweKjlQNAhXUm
IMO, there is difference between saying he hasn’t heard crews has issue with all the new data etc vs debunking what someone else has said/heard. Both could be true.
To be clear -- Mark is around these guys essentially every day; the other talking head maybe -- MAYBE -- swung by camp one day for a few hours.
No... both can't be true. This was Mark debunking a BS story that slandered a struggling kid.
I'm a little late to the party, but my question piggybacks off of this one.
Is there any sense that the organization may have Crews stick to one outfield position in Rochester to limit the things he has to focus on? I can't imagine the big league outfield carousel was helping anything.
Is there a makeup issue here? Ego?
Nats "invited" about 60 additional ball players to Spring Training - any of them show promise and are were kept in the farm system?
Yes! I would say the list of promising young players who we could see either sometime this season or next include pitchers Riley Cornelio, Luis Perales, Jarlin Susana (late-2026) and Travis Sykora (2027). On the position player front: Harry Ford, Christian Franklin, Seaver King, Yohandy Morales, Andrew Pinckney and (not in MLB camp, but still promising young minor leaguers who will debut in a few years) Eli Willits and Gavin Fien.
Thanks for everything so far Mark this has been great! So far the Nats have been very busy on the waiver wire. With the rumors of Luis Matos likely being placed on waivers do you see the Nats being interested especially with Tena and Yorbit on the roster it seems like Tena might be expendable. If not Matos maybe someone else? Thanks!
The moment the Nationals traded for Jorbit Vivas on Sunday, I immediately assumed that meant Jose Tena would be out of work before Opening Day. They're the exact same player (left-handed backup infielders) and by all accounts Vivas is better. But as we sit here with slightly more than two hours to go until Opening Day rosters must be announced, Tena is still on the roster and the Nats are down to 26 players. Could a waiver pickup be coming before noon that would prompt a corresponding move? Maybe. Or maybe they'll go into tomorrow's game with only four outfielders and seven infielders. Either way, I wouldn't expect that arrangement to last for long. I just don't see how Tena would ever get playing time on this roster.
If Vivas remains with the club in 2028 when the A’s move to Nevada we can look forward to Mark writing a lede that says: Vivas Las Vegas!
Can you make some sense of the recent Vivas trade? That one came from nowhere...
Hey! It's the music guy!
Joined by royalty this morning!
More like royalty-free
Definitely came out of nowhere. From what I can tell, the Nats view Vivas as better than Jose Tena, both at the plate and in the field. Did they need to give up a prospect (even if Sean Paul Linan wasn't an elite prospect, he was a prospect) to acquire a guy who would've been available via waivers anyway? That part is confusing to me, but maybe they had reason to believe the Yankees would've traded Vivas to another team first.
Are there any players from other teams who are out of options and on the cusp of being DFAed before rosters are finalized that the Nationals might have their eyes on?
I think that's been very much on their minds the last few days as teams have been whittling down their rosters to 26. The Nats are already at 26, and it's possible there won't be enough time to add someone new before today's 12 p.m. deadline. But that doesn't mean they couldn't still pick someone up after Opening Day. More and more, I've come to understand this organization isn't prioritizing who's on the roster Opening Day. It's going to be in state of constant change throughout the season.
What is the team buy in with the new management? How are they responding to Butera? What does he seem like with the players? Have you noticed any players really responding well to the new group?
This was probably my No. 1 question at the start of spring training: Would these players buy-in to their 33-year-old manager (who never spent a day above Single-A before) and their 35-year-old president of baseball operations? And the answer is ... yes. That answer was consistent throughout the clubhouse. I think it probably helped that Butera, Toboni and coaches already began building relationships with players over the winter, so it's not like the showed up to spring training without ever speaking to them before. But over the course of six weeks, those relationships grew stronger and it does seem like there's genuine buy-in across the board.
Now, the one caveat I've made throughout this process: Will everyone still believe in each other if (more likely when) this team starts losing? How will Butera handle a long losing streak? Sloppy play? Players upset about their roles? That's the true test of his staying power as a manager.
Good morning, Mark.
I see that after you taped the pod yesterday the Nats acquired infielder Zack Short from the Yankees. Another guy that can play multiple infield positions.
Can't imagine there's room for him on the 26-man. Is he headed to AAA? They've really loaded up on these infielders.
P.S. You were right all along on the broadcast announcement. Opening Day morning!
Short isn't on the 40-man roster. He was in minor-league camp with the Yankees. So he goes straight to Rochester and doesn't take anyone else's roster spot really. I think it's just a move to make sure they have more organizational depth.
Just a quick reminder that T Mobile is giving away a year of MLB TV with your T Mobile account but you have to activate by March 31 it took me to using their T-Life app to get it activated we shall see how well this works
I did it yesterday. Involved a lot of clicks, but it did work.
Yes that was my experience also had to turn the App to finish process and even then try again before it worked now later I will try my other streaming devices Roku and Android and maybe Firestick which is become a real problem with Bezo Enshittifcation of Everything
For what it's worth, I've used this service for years now and it's never failed.
Well it’s not that MLB tv won’t work it’s that if it recognized that I am getting a subscription thru TMoblie
Yeah, I mean I've redeemed this specific offer from T-Mobile for several years now, and it has always worked. This year, too.
Not if you live in the DMV then you have to buy the Nats TV or my issue being it suppose to work with a cable customer but that was not happening
Mark, your column yesterday that explained the current reality — that the Nats still aren’t very good — was fair but pointed. Do the players or team ever push back or complain about what you write?
Sure. I wouldn't be doing my job well if I never got the occasional complaint from anyone employed by the team. For what it's worth, I haven't had anyone reach out to me yet about yesterday's column, but maybe I'll hear something tomorrow in Chicago. Regardless, in my experience (and this applies to all sports journalists) most players/managers/GMs understand we're going to write critical pieces sometimes. And as long as what we write is accurate, and not personal, and as long as we've established credibility with them over time as a face they see every day throughout the season, they respect it's all part of the job. What they don't like is when someone who's not around on a regular basis writes something negative (or worse, inaccurate) and then isn't available to discuss it with them after the fact.
The Nats were bad last year and, on paper, they look like they could be even worse this year after trading their ace and closer and not adding anyone of note except some prospects like Ford. In what areas do you think they could actually be better this year than last year?
Good question! I think the hope coming into camp was that they'd be better at the so-called little things. Baserunning. Defense. Unfortunately, they didn't show much of that this spring. But maybe that's a longer process and we will see improvement there as the season plays out. What they did do well this spring was pitch. They had the lowest ERA in the majors! Does that translate into the regular season? I have no idea. But I would suspect the pitching staff will ultimately be better in 2026 than it was in 2025. Not that there's anywhere to go but up.
Mark, the Grapefruit games were very surprising to me in a couple of ways. One -- no one (except Brady House) hit at all. Dylan Crews was the most glaring example but James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, all of whom are expected to carry the offense, were pretty bone dry. Is this something to worry about long term or are these players trying to adjust to the new analytics they are being given by the new management?
Two-- the pitching was much better than anticipated, both starters and relievers. I was highly encouraged by the performances of Cade Cavalli, Jake Irvin, and almost everyone in the bullpen that made the team. Is this a mirage or is the pitching staff better than we all thought going into the spring?
I am grappling with those same questions, Ray. These spring performances were exactly the opposite of what I expected. I thought the Nats lineup would be less of a concern than the pitching staff, but that's not how it played out. Does any of this translate into the season? I would guess somewhat, but not entirely. Obviously, this isn't going to be the best pitching staff in baseball. I like Cavalli a lot, and I think Irvin could take a step forward after a dismal 2025. But we really didn't see much of the three veteran starters in Grapefruit League games, and I don't have super-high hopes for them. On the flip side, I think Wood, Lile and Abrams will all be fine. Better than fine. Good-to-great. There will be an adjustment period for everyone, but I think we'll start to get a sense what this team really is by the end of April.
Does anyone in the whole organization care about the Fanbase their lack of communication is mind numbing
Curious where you think the "lack of communication" has been. Paul Toboni wrote his lengthy "state of the franchise" letter to fans at the Winter Meetings and pretty much explained there they're focused on long-term over short-term success. And he's done a ton of interviews this spring, repeating much of the same mantra. Blake Butera speaks every day and I think has done a good job conveying his message. Ownership? Sure, they've always been quiet. But by all accounts, it does seem like they've handed the keys to the operation over to Toboni and let him do what he wants to do.
Maybe on the TV front they haven't offered enough updates for fans as we approach Opening Day. But I think some of that comes from MLB, which controls this entire ordeal and decides what will be announced when.
And Toboni is doing a weekly appearance on the TEAM980 (junkies show I think) excited to listen!