The Washington Nationals are getting back into the swing of things in the second half of the 2026 season in Sacramento. Heading into this series, the Nationals are a game below .500 and are in the middle of trying to figure out whether or not they want to buy or sell at the trade deadline in early August. While there are certainly arguments for both sides, Paul Toboni might prefer to find upgrades internally.
Top catching prospect Harry Ford will seemingly be up with the club for a little while, and he could end up being an upgrade over Drew Millas, who went down with an injury. Righty reliever Max Kranick should help out in the bullpen, and guys like Abimelec Ortiz and Trevor Williams should be able to contribute as well. However, if there has been one major weakness of Toboni's tenure so far, it's that he hasn't found suitable relief pitching, and one of his dart throws ended up paying a big price.
Matt Krook officially a free agent after DFA from Nationals
Lefty Matt Krook, who I noted when Toboni grabbed him off the waiver wire as being a pretty puzzling acquisition, is already off the team. After being designated for assignment just before the All-Star Break to clear room for first base prospect Abimelec Ortiz, Krook officially cleared waivers, and elected free agency rather than an outright minor league assignment.
The choice by Krook is an interesting one, as due to his role in blowing games to the New York Yankees, the Nationals decided they had seen enough. If anything, you would have thought that maybe going down to the minors and working on your flaws could help rebuild his stock or confidence, but he will now be sitting and waiting by the phone for his next opportunity.
While Krook was certainly not the only Nationals reliever at fault for the inability to close out games against the Yankees last weekend, the fact that he was the worst-performing lefty in the bullpen also probably helped make that decision easier as well. Although he still has not made any major moves to get relief pitching help, it is nice to see that Toboni was able to cut bait with a guy early on, rather than continue to try and force something that clearly wasn't working.
What do you think of Matt Krook's short-lived tenure with the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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