“The Work Beneath the Surface: Our Quest to Keep Building”– From Paul Toboni

A few minutes ago, Washington Nationals’ President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni, reached out to Nats’ season plan holders (SPH). Here is what he wrote:

Nationals Fans,

First of all, I want to thank you for the support and passion you’ve shown over this past season. I’m writing today to share with you my view on the progress we are making, the pride we can take in how far we have come and the ways in which we’re remaining relentlessly focused on where we want to go. It is important for me that we bring you along for the journey.

A season that changed our expectations

Before the season, experts projected us to win 65 games. We exceeded those expectations with 77 wins, remained in playoff contention through late July and racked up a number of other accomplishments along the way.

Our run differential improved from -212 in 2025 to +6 in 2026. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 218-run improvement was the greatest season-to-season jump in Nationals history.

Those numbers reflect real progress. Of course, baseball is not played on run differential; what matters is winning. Some of the disparity between our performance and record may be explained by the randomness inherent in this game. Much of it comes down to the need to execute better in tight games, finish games more consistently and find ways to turn competitive baseball into more wins.

Even so, something changed this year. In June after a loss, a fan stopped me and said, “You know what’s cool? I’m upset we didn’t sweep the Royals today.” That stuck with me. It meant that expectations were growing.

But to get where we ultimately want to go, we need to become both stronger and deeper. Building strength throughout our organization while adding depth at every level will position us well. That is where I’m focused and how I’m spending my time.

The people behind the progress

One of the most rewarding parts of this job is watching players become the best versions of themselves. Seeing Cade Cavalli, Keibert Ruiz, Jacob Young, James Wood and CJ Abrams, among others, make strides is a reminder of why player development is at the heart of what we do. Every player has a different path, and our responsibility is to help each one maximize his potential.

One hundred percent of our team hits this season came from players under the age of 30 – just the second time in Major League history that has happened. That speaks to the youth of our roster and the opportunity in front of us. It also motivates us to keep turning that potential into production.

I’m not sure there is a perfect way to define a team that has the “it” factor, but I believe we had it in 2026. That may sound odd for a team that won 77 games, but I believe culture precedes consistent winning. Even when we fell short in certain areas, there was a genuine willingness across our players and staff to put team above self. People cared about one another, celebrated each other’s successes and wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves.

You could see it in the clubhouse. When report time was 1:00 p.m. for a 7:00 p.m. game, players often arrived at noon or earlier. They played chess. They wanted to be around one another. There was genuine affection between teammates, between staff members and across the organization.

Additionally, some of my favorite conversations this year were with players’ parents at the ballpark. I found myself saying the same thing again and again: “Your son is a great player, but I love the person 100 times more.”

That is not something we can take for granted. As players experience greater success, earn more money and receive more recognition, it’s important that they also continue to build upon their commitment to one another. The culture we are building must grow alongside talent. It cannot depend on everyone being young and hungry or chasing their first opportunity. In fact, in many ways I think it becomes more difficult to build culture as you start to have more success.

The work beneath the surface

Have you seen the image of an iceberg where almost 90 percent of it exists beneath the surface of the water? I think about that often with respect to the Nationals organization.

The most visible measure of progress is what happens on the Major League field. But most of the work that will determine our long-term success is happening out of view: developing players throughout our Minor League system, improving our processes, strengthening our staff, investing in infrastructure, and building better ways to identify, acquire and develop talent. Our ownership group has devoted resources toward helping our players become the best versions of themselves, and it’s something none of us takes for granted.

Right now, we are holding an offseason camp in West Palm Beach where many of our Major Leaguers are working alongside Minor Leaguers, challenging and pushing one another to get better. From early October through late November, the daily work, shared experiences and exchange of knowledge across our organization are helping to build the habits, relationships and standards that will allow us to compete at a higher level. Much of the work that will shape our success in 2027 is happening right now, out of sight, but it is laying the foundation for the team we are working toward becoming.

Winning at every level matters. It helps establish standards, reinforces the habits required to compete and gives our players meaningful experience in situations where the outcome matters. Development and winning should not be treated as mutually exclusive objectives. Winning is not simply something we expect our players to do when they reach the Major Leagues; it is something we must teach and reinforce throughout their development. This year was a great example of that – our Minor League winning percentage increased from .463 to .531, going from 24^th to fifth in all of baseball, and our Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, took home the International League title.

We are also making cultural strides that may not show up in the win column or a box score. My sense is that people are increasingly proud to be associated with the Nationals. We are working to create an organization that is aligned, honest, selfless and disciplined; one where people are challenged to improve, supported through adversity and committed to a shared purpose.

These are the foundations that will allow us to sustain success. But they are also fragile. They need to be constantly reinforced. A strong culture one season does not automatically translate to the next, and the work beneath the surface will only matter if it ultimately translates into a better Major League team, and I believe that it will.

Honest about the past, focused on what comes next

I spend considerable time replaying decisions in my head. I do this because accountability requires us to acknowledge where we fell short, understand why and improve the way we operate so that we make fewer mistakes over time.

But dwelling on the past does not help us build a better future. We have to learn, adjust and keep moving forward.

The trade deadline was a particularly difficult reminder of how much we care about this group. It pained me to trade players with whom we built meaningful relationships. Yet in a strange way, that pain also reflected how far we had come. We had a team worth believing in, a group worth fighting for and a season in which expectations had grown. We made decisions with the long-term health of the organization in mind, while recognizing that those decisions came with a real emotional cost.

There will be seasons when we fall short of expectations. Injuries, underperformance and bad luck are part of baseball. When those moments arrive, my hope is they bring us closer together rather than pull us apart. That applies to me and Blake, to our relationships with our players, and to the relationship between this organization and our fans.

We will be well equipped to navigate difficult stretches as long as we continue to support one another, confront challenges honestly and maintain an unwavering belief in what we are working to accomplish.

The challenge of sustaining progress

I am not an anxious person, but if there is one thing that keeps me up at night, it is the possibility that we fail to maintain our forward momentum.

How do we improve our roster? How do we help our players develop better and faster? How do we create an environment that brings out the best in everyone? What can we do today that will make us a stronger organization six months from now? Maybe most importantly: is our message to those who work here – players and staff – matching their experiences?

Those questions never go away. They shouldn’t.

Our progress in 2026 does not dictate what 2027 will bring. We cannot assume that the same trajectory will continue. We must find new ways to improve, remain open-minded enough to challenge our own assumptions and hold ourselves accountable to the standards we are establishing. That is what my staff and I remain focused on.

To our fans: thank you for your support and your passion. More than anything, I want you to know that we are working tirelessly to get the Nationals back to playing in October, and our relentless effort will not slow down.

Paul Toboni
President of Baseball Operations
Washington Nationals

Cover photo by Marlene Koenig for Talk DC Sports