The Washington Nationals have needs to fill this offseason. All teams have acquisitions to make for their roster. We have thoroughly discussed the needs that begin with high-leverage bullpen arms, at least one top of the rotation starting pitcher, and a left-handed bat or two.

President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, has made it clear that he will look to both free agency as well as making trades to improve his roster. Expect more from Toboni from the General Manager’s meetings on November 9–12, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

All of this from Toboni:

“Generally speaking, future payroll flexibility is a really good thing. I’m happy that we’re in this spot that we’re in. What I would say is that there are creative ways to actually use that payroll, whether it’s actually going out and signing free agents or extensions or whatever it might be. What we want to do is — regardless of how we’re going to use the payroll — do it in a way that sets us up, hopefully, to be a much better team next year, but then be a really good team into the future.”

“I don’t think we can go into next year just thinking it’s a given (the offense stays as good as 2026). … Wherever the roster could benefit most from either internal development or promotions or trying to go out and sign players that play those positions obviously, we’re going to be super open-minded on it.”

At the end of the regular season, the free agents available were much smaller than it became this week as several good players opted-out of contracts, and many more had their mutual options declined, and due to that, the free agents available are in a much larger list.

The Nationals will have a good supply of starting pitchers and relievers to consider via free agency. But the left-handed bats available at first base is very limited in free agency to few viable players beyond Jake Bauers and if Luis Arraez would consider playing first base again. There are fewer players who are perfect fits as a player like Josh Bell is really more of a DH these days.

Toboni also said he doesn’t want to look at just closers for acquisitions to help his bullpen next season. There are key set-up men and high leverage relievers who haven’t been primary closers.

“I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole us into just going after guys that have ninth-inning experience. Not to say it’s not important; it’s just that there are countless relievers across the league that aren’t throwing in the ninth inning that are really good arms that we’d love to have,” — Toboni said

A few hours ago, the Nats made a trade for infielder Nate Furman from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for left-handed pitcher Tony Neubeck who was an undrafted free agent in July. The Nats DFA’d Richard Lovelady to clear a spot for Furman on the 40-man roster.

Furman, 25, bats lefty where he might compete with Jorbit Vivas and Nasim Nunez in Spring Training. Furman hit .293 with 25 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 48 RBI, 52 walks, 19 stolen bases and 63 runs scored in 102 games for Triple-A Sacramento in 2026. He made his MLB debut for San Francisco on Aug. 1 and appeared in 22 games with the Giants in his first big league season. Furman collected four hits, three RBIs, five walks and two runs scored while making eight starts at second base.

Across four Minor League seasons (2023-26), Furman has recorded more walks (169) than strikeouts (166) and has posted a .292/.400/.404 slash line. Prior to the 2026 season, he was cited by Baseball America as having the “Best Strike-Zone Discipline” in San Francisco’s system.

A fifth-round pick in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina by the Cleveland Guardians, Furman was acquired by the Giants on Aug. 26, 2024 as the player to be named later in exchange for right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb.

Trade Ideas — First Base

If the Nats look towards the trade markets for lefty bats, we identified a reunion with Luis Garcia Jr. in a deal with the New York Yankees where the Nats could trade from a strength of right-handed first baseman where they have Andres Chaparro and Yohandy Morales on the MLB roster and Ethan Petry in the upper reaches of the minor league system.

Another idea would be a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for Alec Burleson. That would take a prospect package to get the big lefty.

Trade Idea — Corner Outfielder

The Nationals could move lefty James Wood to a larger role as the DH to save his legs and fewer reps as an outfielder. If they do that, they could look to a stop-gap for Trevor Larnach as a platoon lefty bat. The Twins were trying to move Larnach at the trade deadline per rumors.

Trade Idea — Starting Pitcher

There are not many starting pitchers who are good that are being dangled out there on the trade market. Rumors have it that Carmen Mlodzinski could be available for a trade.

Trade Idea — Other

We are going to say it because everyone else is that CJ Abrams will be in trade rumors unless Toboni declares him unavailable. My personal hope is that Toboni stops the drama before it starts and states that Abrams will not be traded this offseason. But who knows. That has not happened. But if you listen to manager Blake Butera, he is talking about Abrams as his middle infielder in Spring Training.

“We’re going to see what [Abrams] looks like in Spring Training,” said Butera. “I think what he’s shown us at second base, he’s been unbelievable over there. But he’s also been unbelievable at shortstop since we had that conversation, right? So I think that he’s absolutely earned an opportunity to continue to work at that this offseason. And if he plays shortstop the way that he did these last, whatever it is, six weeks or so, that’s a good shortstop.”

Do you have any trade ideas?

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Trade graphics from Spotrac; Cover photo by Marlene Koenig with AI background