The Washington Nationals might be in the middle of getting a major facelift. As Paul Toboni, the team's new President of Baseball Operations, is busy dealing with everything going on at the 2026 MLB Winter Meetings down in Orlando, there is a very good chance, according to some insiders, that a couple of young stars could be on the move.
While the likelihood that both players are dealt might actually be even lower, it has become clear that the Nationals are still going to look a lot different no matter what. This should come as no surprise, as since Toboni took over to lead the organization, he has been focused on building up the organization and helping to develop talent internally, something the Nationals have lacked tremendously.
Toboni has been very vocal at this year's Winter Meetings, as he has been getting questions from a ton of media outlets regarding his plan for the Nationals both this offseason and for the future as well. This should come as no surprise, as he is in his first season within the role, and has a lot of notable potential trade chips at his disposal if he so chooses.
He also has been vocal about a couple other things, but most notably the team's player development moving forward. Part of that process is finding long-term defensive homes for multiple young players on the Nationals, and Toboni revealed some of those plans earlier this week.
A tweet from Andrew Golden of the Washington Post captured most of these thoughts, but Toboni did clarify that he views new acquisition Harry Ford as a catcher, and also hopes that within a few years he will be an impactful defensive catcher. While Ford's offensive prowess is more exciting, his defensive capabilities have been questioned in terms of his total ceiling as a backstop. With a slew of new coaches in place, however, Toboni appears confident that Ford will be able to develop into an elite presence behind the plate.
Additionally, Golden's post said that Toboni mentioned Luis Garcia Jr. will continue to get reps playing first base during offseason winter leagues, with the hope that it will ultimately make him more versatile. Ultimately, this is probably the best long-term home defensively for Garcia Jr., as his fielding ability at second base regressed dramatically again this season. If you remember, he had begun to work in at the position before the season ended, and it appears the new regime is in agreement that he has some real potential at the spot.
What do you think of Paul Toboni's most recent comments? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.