Photo by DH for TalkNats
As Jim McKay would say on the Wide World of Sports, “The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.” Sports at the highest levels define you in wins and losses. There is a reason in professional sports that they keep score. Unfortunately for Nats fans, there has been more agony than thrills in the past half decade.
With a new President in town, and of course we are talking about Paul Toboni, the President of Baseball Operations for the Washington Nationals, he said that he intends to “keep score” as a central part of his strategy to build a competitive and successful organization rooted in accountability.
With last year behind us, changes are coming. That’s where you might expect the cliché of you’re either with us or against us or the Rizzo version, “You’re either in, or you’re in the way.” That quote was painted over. The newness is everywhere.
During his introductory press conference in October 2025, Toboni emphasized his desire for a results-oriented culture by stating, “We’re going to be competitive, we’re going to keep score, and we’re going to thrive in that environment.” He further clarified his belief in having clear winners and losers with a basketball analogy: “I can’t imagine playing one-on-one and not keeping the score.”
This philosophy highlights a focus on accountability, competition, and tangible success within the Nationals’ front office and on the field, moving past “moral victories” and toward sustained winning.
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— Toboni said on Dec. 8
My goal is to make the Nationals the envy of sport.
To me, that means an organization defined by our relentless pursuit of excellence, strengthened by our connection to each other and fueled by our positive energy. As a result, we become an organization that players and staff are itching to join because they know it’s where they will develop and thrive most; a place that energizes our loyal fans and attracts new ones, and where success is achieved – and sustained – over time.
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Changes have certainly come in the form of new front office personnel, coaches, and the player development staff. Change will come to the roster. We expect all of that to bring tangible and improved play on the field.
Out:
- It’s the player’s fault. It’s never on the coaches.
- Go 1-0 today.
- The boys played hard.
- Jogging to first base.
- No accountability.
- MASN, at least as we knew it.
- The eye test as the main source of information.
- Quantity over quality.
- A long list of goals.
- No unified voice.
- Talking about fundamentals (Added by Mr. Clean)
In:
- Accountability at all levels.
- Winning effort being the precursor to actual wins.
- The boys play hard every game.
- Running a Hard-90.
- Full and transparent accountability.
- TBD
- Analytics with the eye test.
- Quality is Job 1.
- “Priority goals” for each player
- A unified voice, from the Dominican Academy up through the MLB level, so players continue to get the same coaching as they progress through their careers. Call this “The Nationals Way.”
- Teaching fundamentals as a constant
No information overload. That is our Top-10 of what’s in and what’s out. If you think we missed some, comment below and we can add some more based on what our community thinks. Just like Toboni, everything should be a collaborative effort, not having everything dictated to you — and telling you that you will like it.
Everything said sounds great in theory. Toboni isn’t building race cars here. These are humans who can’t be re-engineered from top to bottom. As they say, when the rubber meets the road is the real test. At some point we really have to see if Blake Butera’s players run a Hard-90 all of the time. Control what you can control.
Words certainly matter. Actions matter more. We went through years of hearing words and empty words. And that is on Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner too. We all remember when he said the money will be there when the time is right. When is it the right time? We all took him on his word in the offseason two years ago.
“We are totally in on building this back to where we all expect it to be, to where our fans expect it to be.”
— Mark Lerner said in a “Nats Xtra” interview at the end of the 2023 season
“It’s [the GM’s] call how he wants to fill the holes in the lineup. He comes to me when he is ready — whether it’s a player or a free agent. Whatever he desires — he has the resources, and he has always had the resources since the day we took over the team to build a winner.”
Come on Lerner. We all know that you omitted the words “within the budget.” Tell a kid that he can buy “whatever he desires — he has the resources” and you hand the kid a $50 bill at the toy store. You put a hard stop on it. Have you been to a Lego store recently? What you meant to say is “Get whatever you want within $50.” That is far from handing the kid a credit card with an unlimited balance or even one with a high credit limit that allows that kid to spend with some planning. Or what about an installment payment to pay over time? Maybe a 4-year deal.
We do not believe the roster is completed today, the first day of 2026. There is a lot of work ahead of us. We hope that Toboni’s New Year’s resolution is to sign a veteran star player to a multi-year deal to be the leader of this 2026 Nationals team. And this time, Lerner is staying quiet on all of that, and Toboni is avoiding those questions on spending. He has been asked, and like a Washington politician, he does the D.C. two-step and maneuvers around the subject.
Words do matter. Yes. But positive actions are what will turn into those wins. And tell us what happens if a player doesn’t run that Hard-90? That will be a storyline to watch. There are a lot of storylines. Here are some to watch:
- Building out the 2026 roster
- Who will be the team leaders?
- Who will be broadcasting the Nats on TV?
- Seeing the Toboni/Kilambi/Butera way in real-time
- Accountability in action
- Analytics in usage and results
- Progress at all levels
- The 2026 Draft
- The July 31 Trade Deadline
- The expiring CBA after the 2026 season
Again, please add to the list!
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