Photo by Intrepid/Nats.Talk

While I realize that the pessimistic default fan position (hardened after six seasons of ugh and now a seventh season that showed real progress but ended with the Nats fading and then selling at the deadline) is DOOM, that default fan position doesn’t have to go in that direction.

The pessimist will say that the team has failed, and it’s all over. That reaction is that we might as well brace ourselves for the Nats completely tearing down the failed rebuild including “giving away” CJ Abrams and James Wood. SELL! THE! TEAM! Etc. But I submit there is also a case for cautious optimism, that the moves the Nationals have made at this trade deadline are all consistent with the team positioning itself for competing in 2027 and 2028.

Or put another way, pretty much every one of these trade deadline moves would fit logically if the Nationals had read and accepted the “It’s GO Time!” article I posted a couple of weeks ago as their strategy for 2027-28. Consider this:

• The primary trade targets were not 18 years olds in A-ball. The targets have been controllable — and mostly young assets at Double-A or Triple-A, or already at the MLB level.

• The trade targets have been absolutely focused on the Nationals critical need for pitching, especially in the bullpen that doesn’t require instant health AND success from DJ Herz, Jarlin Susana, Tyler Stuart and Travis Sykora — more starting pitching and (especially!) aimed at the flaring dumpster fire which has been the 2026 Nationals bullpen.

• The long term asset traded (Curtis Mead) picked up a long-term starting pitcher, using a team strength to help address a glaring weakness for 2027-28.

• The short-term (but not rental) asset traded (Luis Garcia Jr.) picked up a spread of pitchers mostly (and obviously) aimed at filling needs ASAP.

• Christian Franklin for Joe Glassey takes a blocked asset in a position of strength and flips it into another potential bullpen fix.

• Mead and Garcia have obvious replacements to plug into their slots that the team needs to use the last 50+ games of 2026 to test: Brady House at third and Abimelec Ortiz at first. The team should start playing Brady against RHP as soon as they think the 2026 WC hunt is officially done (for me, that’s tonight).

• The LG Jr trade frees up additional money for 2027 (if there is not a full year lock-out). It may be Lerner cheapskating, true…but if the Nationals take what LG Jr would have made in his final arbitration year and apply that amount towards an ace pitcher or an CJ Abrams/James Wood extension that would be a re-investment most of us would approve of.

• The Foster Griffin trade came in as I was finishing up this article. The early returns are an MLB ready relief pitcher, two Double-A pitchers (one starter and one reliever) and a Double-A OF. All within 0-2 years of reaching MLB. These aren’t A ball guys on 2029+ timelines.

Do all these moves mean the Nationals are in fact going to use the 2026-27 offseason as “GO time”? Maybe, maybe not. Unlike some other posters, I cannot read minds.

Will the team use the near-rock-bottom 2026 payroll commitments as leverage to put real investments into free agents and player extensions? Again, we don’t know — and if they don’t, as I’ve said I know where my torches and pitchforks are.

But when I look at the full pattern of decisions the Nationals have been making as we came up to and through the trade deadline they all look consistent with making a 2027 playoff berth a clear team objective. The proof remains to be shown *cough* spending *cough*. And even if they Nationals have decided 2027 is “GO time” it may note work.
 

Just repeating that there is reason for (CAUTIOUS) optimism that Nationals team management is looking at moving from “rebuild” to “contend” in 2027. I realize hope is something hard to have as a Nats fan in 2026, but there are readable and visible signs the Nationals are shifting their focus upwards. Let’s GO Nats!