The №1 priority for the Washington Nationals is to acquire a veteran star who can be a leader on a long-term deal. The reason you need a long-term deal is to have that continuity. Signing a veteran player to a 1-year deal will not have the same impact as a 5-year deal. Everyone has to know this player is here for years to come. Before the 2011 season, the Nationals did just that when they signed Jayson Werth to a 7-year deal for over $120 million. At that time, $120 million was a lot of money in baseball terms.
A new video was uploaded today with Ryan Zimmerman, Dan Kolko, and Nats’ President of Baseball Operations, Paul Toboni. Here is the link. Zimmerman spoke about the need of bringing a true veteran leader onto this roster as he believes it is the time:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkxmsj2HxUyBoPI8jkoeoM53IjRvBVMahsN?si=LNqgtSWjWpJaQfR5
Toboni said that Alex Bregman was the veteran leader of the Red Sox as well as Trevor Story in this clip:
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxKwkOy_Q1fEADuS2qxBHND39v-nEQw0j9?si=VI6C04yKjHAr2l3l
“I’ve seen it in Boston this year. We brought in [Alex] Bregman, and Alex had some intangibles that I know they’re talked about in the media — but once you experience [them] firsthand, you’re like, ‘This is it, and this can have a tremendous influence on younger players.’ I think about Roman [Anthony] and Marcelo [Meyer] and all those young players in Boston — they have all benefited from it. It’s a really, really important thing.”
— Toboni on a team leader
There is obviously going to be an amount that Toboni will be able to spend in his budget for offseason acquisitions. And within that budget, the priority must be to acquire that veteran leader and make that a priority. If they do it right, that player will energize the fanbase much like Werth did initially. The attendance from 2010 to 2011 grew by a mark over 112,400. Was it all Werth that led to the increase, or was it a belief that the team “finally” cared about winning?
That 2011 team was actually 2-games over .500 on July 6 of that season. Then the next day, the Nats blew an 8-0 lead as some of you might remember against the Cubs. And Chicago scored six runs in the sixth inning off of Livan Hernandez. That seemed to change the season. The team did finish the season on a 15-5 heater to get to 80-81 and a third place finish. That gave the Nats a lot of hope with Stephen Strasburg returning at the end of that 2011 season. You all know what happened in 2012. What you might not remember is that the 2010 Nats finished at 69-93 in last place in the NL East.
Those are the historical numbers that with some smart acquisitions and changing the team culture, you can go from a loser to a winner. This team needs their Strasburg and Werth. And it is Toboni’s job with ownership’s blessing to get that done. Quality over quantity. You don’t have to win 98 games in 2026. You do need to turn this into a 2011 type of season of respectability.
Truthfully, I thought the team needed to sign that long-term veteran leader last year. There was plenty of budget to do that at $50 million to spend on the 2025 team. Maybe ownership wasn’t allowing a long-term deal to be made. We have heard rumors of that, but sources told us that was not the case. So who really knows? The bigger point is, this has to happen now. No more excuses. This has to get done.
❝We’re going create a scouting and player development monster that hopefully leads to a winning culture — and one that lands us as a perennial contender,❞ Toboni said.
What Toboni wants to build is a long-term foundation for this team to draft and develop top prospects to where this is a farm system you can count on and Toboni addressed that in this clip about building a scouting and development monster:
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxAyW1DqUWP1rM1ob9LWyajG3ttP8DQl9O?si=sgeY-4bXtr_eNeTg
On the final day of the season, outfielder Dylan Crews talked specifically about being accountable, and Toboni used almost identical words also.
❝It all starts with day one next year, and coming out in Spring Training and setting the tone — setting the standard right away, and really holding each other accountable from the start,❞ Crews said.
❝I think a lot of times this year we were able to brush things under the rug, and we should’ve said something. I think from the start next year, we really need to hold each other accountable, and set the tone — find the standard for next year,❞ Crews said.
❝ … Placing an incredible amount of focus on creating a winning culture is front of mind for me. What that means is, we want to create an environment where our players are not just holding themselves accountable — but holding each other accountable,❞ Toboni said.
Here is Zimmerman on players holding each other accountable:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx3svrBTMFcIakXnY–7QeYkoMFl8-hx-I?si=5XbWA12i3MyMwBKH
Again, this is a new era. You have to love what Zim said. Points that have been said here incessantly. And Zim would know. He played on teams with short-term veterans like Adam Dunn on a 2-year deal. They played like short-termers, and Zim needed Werth more than he probably knew to change that culture. Crews was a 23 year old this season with his own struggles. He needs his Werth to set the tone and a winning culture to where Crews, James Wood, Daylen Lile, CJ Abrams, and the rest of the players know that this team will learn how to win as a team. Zim was 24 years old when Dunn arrived. Not much older than Crews. So Toboni needs to get that leader as the №1 priority.
