The Washington Nationals have found themselves at the center of the rumor mill recently. After pulling off a surprise trade for catcher Harry Ford from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, it seems everybody and their mother is interested in what the team will do with some of their other young assets.
Going into 2026, the team is certainly in a better place than they ended the 2025 season, and part of that is due to the new leadership under Paul Toboni as well as the new manager in town in Blake Butera. Both of them are the youngest in the league at their respective positions and are set to provide a lot of optimism for the club.
As of yesterday, with Paul Toboni having some media availability from the 2026 Winter Meetings in Orlando, Toboni announced his finalized coaching staff for the upcoming season, and it is set to be the largest uniformed coaching staff the franchise has ever had. This is a massive change from the Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez era.
Here are the 2026 Washington Nationals Coaches:
Manager - Blake Butera
Bench Coach - Michael Johns
Field Coordinator - Tyler Smarslok
Hitting Coach - Matt Borgschulte
Assistant Hitting Coach - Andrew Aydt
Pitching Coach - Simon Mathews
Assistant Pitching Coach - Sean Doolittle
Assistant Pitching/Bullpen Coach - Dustin Glant
First Base/Outfield/Baserunning Coach - Corey Ray
Third Base/Infield Coach - Victor Estevez
Catching Coach/Run Game Coordinator - Bobby Wilson
Bullpen Catcher/Development Coach - Grant Anders
Most of these hires were covered by us on this site since the offseason began, however, there were a few new hires that became public with Toboni's announcement. Hitting Coach Matt Borgshulte was one of the new hires announced, and he spent 2025 in the same role for the Minnesota Twins after multiple years of serving as an assistant hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles.
Dustin Glant is another hire that was just announced, and he joins the club from the college ranks after serving as Indiana University's Pitching Coach previously, and he will not be the Bullpen Catcher/Development Coach for the Nationals. Toboni has placed an emphasis on player development internally as the main priority for the club moving forward, and by having all of these coaches in place it allows for all the young talent to make sure they have every chance possible to be successful.
What do you think of the updated coaching staff for the 2026 Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.