The Washington Nationals' playoff drought reached six seasons after their 66-win, last-place finish in 2025. The Nats have been reaping the rewards of the Juan Soto trade for multiple seasons now, with Mackenzie Gore, James Wood, and CJ Abrams contributing as core pieces, and Robert Hassell III arriving mid-season. While these players are foundational to the success of the Nats, baseball teams aren't consistently successful with just a few good players.
The real success of this team needs to come in the form of depth (both in hitting and pitching), and the depth they desire is either years away or not currently in the organization. The Nationals have drafted in the first five picks in three of the last four seasons, and only time will tell if any of those three (Elijah Green, Dylan Crews, and Eli Willits) will be the impact player a top 5 pick warrants.
Beyond the stars mentioned above, some new names have provided value on this team and could be key contributors as the team looks to break its playoff drought. Daylen Lile and Cade Cavalli made modest impacts in small samples this season and should be counted on moving forward. Meanwhile, the next level of talent, which includes Brady House and Keibert Ruiz, needs to produce more to take pressure off the top players.
The first overall selection in the 2025 draft, Eli Willits, will be a long-term project, but the team hopes he can be a centerpiece on this roster for multiple playoff runs. Willits' pitching counterpart, Travis Sykora, and to a lesser extent, Jarlin Susana and Alex Clemmey, could really boost the rotation with continued health and development. If the Nats can hit on a few of their young, but talented, hitters and pitchers, this team could be pretty special. They might even contend for a title!
Lile isn’t going to knock the cover off the ball, but he is going to show a solid approach with good bat-to-ball skills, consistent ability to hit the ball at ideal angles, and some of the best speed in the league. He slashed .333/.380/.576 with seven HR in the second half, and while I’m not sure he maintains a .200+ ISO, I do think he will continue to be a non-zero factor in the power department while contributing strong ratios. He’s not going to be a fantasy star, but he looks to be a solid 3rd or 4th OF for fantasy purposes that you can probably get for nearly free right now.
This isn’t a suggestion I thought I would be making, even just a few short months ago, when Cavalli made his return to the big leagues after three years, but here we are. His 4.16 xERA was only slightly better than his actual ERA of 4.25, but he showed strong bat-missing ability while limiting walks and hard contact and keeping the ball on the ground. Despite that, what he struggled with in 2025 was putting hitters away as opponents managed a .285 batting average against him. The culprit - leaving too many pitches over the middle of the plate. However, don’t forget that he pitched just 8 total minor league innings across 2023 and 2024 while recovering from shoulder and elbow injuries. It’s a risky bet buying a pitcher with that kind of injury history, but look for his command and control to improve in 2026, which will result in statistical improvements across the board.
I probably would have told you this last year, too, and he really didn’t take much of a step back, so maybe you shouldn’t listen to me, but Garcia’s production feels like fool's gold. He chases way too much but makes plenty of contact, limiting his K% but also his BB%. He’s likely to fall deeper into a platoon role (he is at least on the strong side of the platoon), and in OBP leagues, he’s probably already falling a bit after getting on base at a sub-.300 clip in 2025, but his 30 combined HR and SB might carry the value a bit. You won’t be able to get a king’s ransom for him, but I’m looking to get whatever I can before his value drops out.
I know the results are ridiculously impressive, but after showing improved command in small samples at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, it really took a step back for the rest of the year. Combine that with his growing list of injuries, and he seems destined for a bullpen role. He’ll get plenty of opportunity to start in this Nats org, starved for pitching, and even when he moves to the pen, he could be a lights-out closer, but if you can still get top 75 value for him, I’m looking to take that before his stock dips again.
Hearing your name called as the first overall pick in a draft has to be a surreal feeling. Willits was the player the Nats targeted in a draft without a clear 1-1. He's a young high school draft pick and years away from the big leagues, but there's a ton of talent in his 6 '1, 180 lb frame. As a shortstop with bloodlines (Eli's father, Reggie, played six seasons in the big leagues), there will be no escaping the high expectations set on him, but he seems to be up for the task as his 58 plate appearance debut confirms. Willits posted a .300/.397/.360 line with a 12.1% BB rate and 20.7% strikeout rate, good for a 128 wRC+ against competition 3.5 years older than him. His under-the-hood metrics strongly support his strong first impression. Willits profiles as a contact hitter with good speed who has the potential to develop more power as he matures. In an FYPD class without a clear top choice, Willits is a strong option if you have the patience to see his development through. - Greg Hoogkamp
Sykora started the year recovering from hip surgery, but when he returned, he looked like his dominant self, rising through three levels of the minors to end the year in Double-A. Unfortunately, that end came in early July as an arm injury sidelined him, and he would eventually require Tommy John surgery. Last year's report on Sykora noted, "there may not be a better pitching prospect to buy high on before his stock gets even higher," and while that was true at the time, there might be an even better window to buy him right now, depending on just how risk-averse you are. Some will see hip and elbow surgery already on his ledger and stay away, while some will see the upside that could have made him the number one pitching prospect in the game had he stayed healthy. The unfortunate thing now is that the timing of the elbow surgery means he will most, if not all, of 2026 as well, and we'll be waiting to see how he returns for quite some time. - Kyle Sonntag
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
