The Washington Nationals have been mired in a very busy offseason full of tons of difficult yet interesting decisions so far. Whether it was the organization hiring Paul Toboni to lead from the front office or hiring the youngest big league manager in over 50 years, it's safe to say that things are going to look a lot different in the 2026 season.
Given the way that things have transpired over the first half of this decade since winning the World Series over the Houston Astros back in 2019, perhaps that should be music to the ears of us Nationals fans. One underrated and interesting part of the offseason that takes place ever December is the Rule 5 Draft, where the Nationals have been fairly busy over the last few seasons.
The Rule 5 Draft itself can be a bit of a mixed bag, and the Nationals have been no strangers to experiencing this themselves. A few years back, they selected righty Thaddeus Ward from the Boston Red Sox who spent a full season battling injuries for the big league club before he was ultimately waived in 2024. Then 2 years ago, the Nationals nabbed infielder Nasim Nuñez from the Miami Marlins, and he has turned into a valuable bench contributor.
However, you also have the negative side like the pick the Nationals chose last year, which came in the form of righty reliever Evan Reifert from the Tampa Bay Rays. Reifert was a fun and enticing pick for the Nationals at the time, however by the time Spring Training rolled around, he was so bad that he was returned to the Rays before the season even began.
We know that earlier this week, the Nationals chose to add lefty Jake Bennett, outfielder Christian Franklin, and righty Riley Cornelio to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from next month's Rule 5 Draft. But which Nationals players were not protected from the Draft?
The notable ones that were not added was righty Tyler Stuart, righty reliever Marquis Grissom Jr., and infielder Cayden Wallace. All 3 of these prospects are notable for a couple of reasons, but all of them have their own reasons why they weren't chosen to be protected at this time.
Stuart, the Nationals' 28th-ranked prospect, is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and likely will be sidelined for most of if not all of the 2026 season. He was looking good before the injury after coming over from the New York Mets in the Jesse Winker trade back in 2024. Wallace also came over to the Nationals' organization at the 2024 deadline in the Hunter Harvey deal with the Kansas City Royals, and he also has struggled with injuries in his professional career.
Wallace was in a major slump at the beginning of this season, but was scorching hot to end this season, and he will hope to carry that momentum into 2026. Similarly, Grissom Jr. struggled a lot this past season after being promoted to AAA Rochester, but he is yet another guy that could find himself in the big leagues as soon as next season if he can get back to the form he showed in 2024 and early 2025 at AA Harrisburg.
What do you think of the players the Nationals chose not to add to their 40-man roster? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.