This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni headed to the 2025 GM Meetings in Las Vegas just over a month into his new role. He already has jumped into shaping the front office, hiring a manager, and working in tandem to begin filling out the coaching staff.
“It’s been exciting, it’s been a lot,” Toboni said. “It’s been probably six weeks or so, but it feels like it’s been six months or so just because I feel like we’ve gotten a decent amount done in a short period of time. Hopefully, that can continue over the course of the next couple of months.”
From building the staff to building a roster, Toboni spoke on several areas of the team to address ahead of the 2026 season. (MLB.com Athletics reporter Martín Gallegos delivered the assist attending Toboni’s media session at the GM Meetings.)
Roster needs
The Nationals’ most glaring hole on the roster is first base, which was manned for the majority of this past season by Josh Bell (free agent) and Nathaniel Lowe (DFA’d in August). They also will have to evaluate the health of starting catcher Keibert Ruiz, who battled concussions and did not appear in a Major League game after July 5.
“I wouldn’t say there’s like a hierarchical order,” said Toboni. “I will say that we’re going to be really open-minded. I don’t think you can ever have enough pitching. We’ll be open-minded at the first-base position, potentially at the catching position. We’re going to see how it plays out and what opportunities present themselves.”
“When we think through who we’re going to protect or not, I think the big piece of it is like, ‘Hey, what are the odds that we think a certain player is going to not only get selected, but then stick on a team’s roster the duration of the season?’” Toboni explained. “A lot of that plays into account.
“Then also, just the talent at the bottom of our roster and whether we think there is a pick worth making and what kind of upgrade it would be for us. Those are all important considerations.”
“I think he’s a great leader,” Toboni said of Johns. “He has a gifted way of holding players accountable and carries himself with integrity, and he really likes to work. When I say integrity, he’s dependable.
“The other piece is, I think he’s going to do a really good job complementing Blake. Blake and he have a really trustworthy relationship with each other. I think that’s important, not only because MJ is going to have Blake’s back, but actually a little bit of the opposite, too. He’s going to feel really comfortable challenging Blake. I think that’s a really healthy thing.
“Also, I think it highlights Blake’s humility that he’s really craving that. I think they’re going to complement each other really well, and I’m excited about how the relationship forms over time.”
