The Nationals continued to remake their 40-man roster this afternoon with a series of transactions that included the departures of pitchers Zach Brzykcy and Ryan Loutos, the demotion of infielder Trey Lipscomb and the official activation of Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Drew Millas and Trevor Williams off the injured list.

Both Brzykcy and Loutos were claimed off outright waivers, Brzykcy by the Marlins and Loutos by the Mariners. Lipscomb, meanwhile, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester, coming off the 40-man roster in the process.

The transactions were the latest in a string of moves by new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and his front office to reset the Nats’ 40-man roster heading into the offseason. They’ve managed to clear a good amount of space for future additions, with six openings now available for their use, and the potential for even more in the coming weeks.

Brzykcy briefly looked like an organizational success story, an undrafted reliever out of Virginia Tech who had the potential to become a high-leverage arm in the big leagues. But the 26-year-old was beset by injuries, and once healthy couldn’t sustain any success in the majors. In 32 games over the last two seasons, he went 0-1 with a 10.05 ERA and 1.814 WHIP, striking out an impressive 9.4 batters per nine innings but doomed by a high walk rate (4.7 per nine innings) and home run rate (2.3 per nine innings). He'll now get a shot to realize his potential in Miami.

Loutos, 26, was a midseason acquisition by former general manager Mike Rizzo, claimed off waivers from the Dodgers. The right-hander struggled in 10 appearances, going 1-0 with a 12.00 ERA and 2.444 WHIP, with the same number of walks as strikeouts (six) and three homers surrendered in only nine innings. Originally with the Cardinals, he’ll try to resurrect his career in Seattle.

For generations, the division between a franchise’s front office and the manager’s office was clear-cut. The general manager’s job was to assemble the team’s roster. And the manager’s job was to use that roster as he saw fit.

That’s the way the Nationals operated under Mike Rizzo, who always insisted he let his managers make out their own lineup cards and decide on their own when to pull a starting pitcher and who to use out of the bullpen. That doesn’t mean Rizzo didn’t have opinions. Strong ones. Nearly every night during his 17-year tenure, he went into the manager’s office postgame and discussed all aspects of the just-completed game, often raising his voice about any decisions he didn’t exactly agree with.

But Rizzo never ordered his managers to fill out a lineup card a certain way. When Davey Martinez decided to move Kyle Schwarber into the leadoff spot, that was his own decision. When Dusty Baker decided to keep a slumping Jayson Werth in the 2-spot for Game 5 of the 2017 National League Division Series against the Cubs instead of starting Howie Kendrick in his place, that was his own decision. And when Matt Williams decided to pull Jordan Zimmermann in favor of Drew Storen with two outs in the ninth, a runner on first and the Nats leading the Giants 1-0 in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS … well, that was solely his own decision.

That’s just the way it was always done. It’s not, however, necessarily the way it’s always done anymore.

Over the last decade-plus, more and more front offices have been dictating the usage of certain players to their managers. Smart executives well-versed in analytics create optimized lineups, mandates about starting pitchers only facing opposing hitters twice per game and specific situations that should fall upon specific relievers. And in some cases, these are some of the most successful teams in baseball: The Dodgers and Yankees, in particular, are among the organizations believed to operate this way.

Though he didn’t literally know Blake Butera before, Paul Toboni felt like he already knew all about the young man he just hired to be Nationals manager, long before either was employed by the franchise.

During Toboni’s 10 years working in the Red Sox front office, Butera’s name came up a number of times. They had overlapping circles of baseball friends. They came from similar backgrounds. Toboni even vaguely remembers scouting Butera when the latter played at Boston College, despite the fact they’re only separated by two years in age.

So when it came time to assemble a list of candidates for the Nats’ open managerial position, Toboni knew he wanted to meet with Butera. And once they did meet on multiple occasions, the 35-year-old president of baseball operations jumped at the opportunity to hire the 33-year-old rookie skipper.

“I really went into this process having an understanding of what I thought it was going to be like, but didn’t honestly know until I really hopped into it,” Toboni said today during a video conference with reporters. “I’m really fortunate that we did reach out to interview him, because he blew me away throughout the process.”

Butera, who worked for the Rays as a minor league manager and front office executive, was hired by the Nationals last week. He won’t be formally introduced for a couple more weeks, because he and his wife just welcomed their first child into the family on the same day he signed his contract.

The Nationals’ focus since the season ended five weeks ago has been fixed on the remaking of the front office and now the manager’s office as well. At some point, though, Paul Toboni will need to start addressing the roster of players he has inherited.

The new president of baseball operations has actually made a few transactions in the last week, letting several players go via the outright waivers process in order to clear up space on the 40-man roster. That roster now has 37 players on it with the activation of those who ended the year on the 60-day injured list. So there’s already room to add three players, whether from the outside or from within in the form of prospects who need to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

But there’s plenty more that needs to be done, and there are plenty more current players who could be removed in the days and weeks ahead to allow for even more additions.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the state of the organizational depth chart as the offseason commences, getting a sense of what’s already in place and what needs to be addressed. We’ll go position-by-position, with players on the 40-man roster listed first and then some minor leaguers who aren’t listed next (with an asterisk next to their names) …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Riley Adams
Drew Millas
Caleb Lomavita*
Brady Lindsly*
Maxwell Romero Jr.*
Kevin Bazzell*

The 2025 Major League Baseball season ended early Sunday morning, in just about as dramatic fashion as possible. Whether you were happy, upset or indifferent to the result, you have to admit Game 7 of the World Series was an all-timer.

Now, as the Dodgers prepare for another victory parade and the Blue Jays come to grips with as narrow a defeat as it gets, the rest of the baseball world enters the offseason. And around here, there’s a lot to do.

It’s already been plenty busy for the Nationals, who named Paul Toboni their new president of baseball operations one month ago and named Blake Butera their new manager four days ago. In between, Toboni made a number of changes to the front office. But there’s still so much more to do, and that’s before we even get to the roster.

There are plenty more openings to fill in the front office, and though Toboni so far has brought in several execs who previously worked alongside him in Boston, he’s also going to need to look outside his comfort zone as he assembles the rest of the baseball operations department. Perhaps next week’s GM Meetings in Las Vegas will provide an opportunity for him to meet with candidates in person.

Butera, meanwhile, needs a coaching staff. The Nationals aren’t holding a press conference to formally introduce the 33-year-old for a couple more weeks because his wife just so happened to give birth to the couple’s first child Thursday, the same day he signed his contract. The club will give him and his growing family time to get settled before flying him up to D.C. for his public unveiling, but in the meantime he needs to start figuring out who is going to work alongside him in the dugout.

PLAYER REVIEW: TREVOR WILLIAMS

Age on Opening Day 2026: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2024

MLB service time: 9 years, 27 days

2025 salary: $7 million

PLAYER REVIEW: PJ POULIN

Age on Opening Day 2026: 29

How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Tigers, August 2025

MLB service time: 55 days

2025 salary: $760,000

Once the initial shock of Thursday’s news – They hired who? He’s how old? He’s never played or coached above what level? – wore off, the case for the Nationals’ hiring of Blake Butera as their new manager crystalized.

Yeah, he’s only 33 years old, but he’s already got an impressive background as a highly successful minor league manager and senior director of player development for the Rays. He and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni appear to share many baseball philosophies, from analytics to helping turn young players into good big league players. He was viewed within the industry as a future star, so why not snag him now before his profile grew and another franchise claimed him instead?

"I've always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role," Toboni in officially announcing the hiring this morning. "Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level. He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C."

There are a number of reasons Butera makes sense for the Nationals right now. Which doesn’t make his hiring any less of a gamble for Toboni and the Lerner family.

Let’s be clear: This is a huge gamble. He’s about to become the youngest manager in Major League Baseball since 1972. And it’s not like he’s a well-known former big league player who was given a managerial job with little experience like David Ross, Stephen Vogt or Kurt Suzuki. Nor does he make up for his lack of professional experience with a track record as head coach of an elite college program like Tony Vitello.

The Nationals are working to finalize a deal to name 33-year-old Blake Butera as their next manager, an out-of-the-box hiring of someone who never played or coached above Single-A but was highly regarded for his work leading the Rays’ much-touted player development system.

The expected hiring of Butera, which was confirmed by a source familiar with the decision, would make him Major League Baseball’s youngest manager since 1972, not to mention thrust a previously little-known figure in the sport into a high-profile job in the nation’s capital.

Unconventional as the move – which was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan – may sound, Butera appears to align well with new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. Well-versed in analytics and player development, Butera shares many of the qualities that made Toboni, 35, the choice of Nationals ownership to reshape the organization after 17 years under former general manager Mike Rizzo.

Butera has been employed by the Rays in one capacity or another since 2015, when the former infielder was selected in the 35th round of the MLB Draft out of Boston College. The Louisiana native played only two seasons of professional ball, never advancing beyond the short-season Single-A level, but he immediately went into coaching upon his retirement and spent the next decade working in a variety of roles for Tampa Bay.

By 2018, at the age of 25, Butera was named manager of the Hudson Valley Renegades and led that short-season Single-A club to the first of two consecutive first-place finishes in the New York-Penn League. He was promoted to manager of the low Single-A Charleston River Dogs in 2021 and led that team to back-to-back Carolina League titles, with an 88-44 record in 2022.

PLAYER REVIEW: CLAYTON BEETER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 27

How acquired: Traded with Browm Martinez from Yankees for Amed Rosario, July 2025

MLB service time: 129 days

2025 salary: $763,325

The Nationals began the process of trimming down their 40-man roster for the start of the offseason this evening, announcing four players cleared outright waivers in Paul Toboni’s first official transactions since being named president of baseball operations.

Right-handers Eduardo Salazar and Mason Thompson, left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and catcher CJ Stubbs were dropped from the 40-man roster, with Ogasawara and Stubbs assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Salazar and Thompson refused their outright assignments and instead declared for free agency, leaving the organization in the process.

All major league clubs must activate players who ended the season on the injured list following the World Series, and typically that requires some other maneuvering to make sure they do not exceed the 40-man roster limit for the offseason. Today’s moves leave the Nationals with 36 active players, plus four more under club control who ended the year on the 60-day IL: Josiah Gray, DJ Herz, Drew Millas and Trevor Williams. (Derek Law also was on the 60-day IL, but he’s set to become a free agent after the World Series and will automatically come off the roster.)

Thompson also ended the season on the IL with right biceps tendinitis, a frustrating conclusion to a frustrating season for the 27-year-old reliever, who in his return from his second Tommy John surgery produced an 11.81 ERA and 2.625 WHIP in 14 big league appearances. Originally acquired from the Padres for Daniel Hudson in one of former general manager Mike Rizzo’s flurry of 2021 trade deadline deals, Thompson ends his Nationals tenure with a 7-9 record, 5.27 ERA and 1.640 WHIP in 116 games.

Salazar, a waiver claim from the Mariners during the 2024 season, showed initial promise with a 2.96 ERA in 25 appearances but struggled this season to the tune of an 8.38 ERA in 30 games while bouncing back and forth between D.C. and Rochester.

PLAYER REVIEW: JACKSON RUTLEDGE

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: First round pick, 2019 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 year, 25 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: COLE HENRY

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Second round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 169 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE A. FERRER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2017

MLB service time: 2 years, 94 days

2025 salary: $765,400

PLAYER REVIEW: SHINNOSUKE OGASAWARA

Age on Opening Day 2026: 28

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, January 2025

MLB service time: 66 days

2025 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: ANDREW ALVAREZ

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: 12th-round pick, 2021 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 28 days

2025 salary: $760,000

PLAYER REVIEW: MITCHELL PARKER

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: Fifth round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 2 years

2025 salary: $767,200

PLAYER REVIEW: CADE CAVALLI

Age on Opening Day 2026: 27

How acquired: First round pick, 2020 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 2 years, 141 days

2025 salary: $760,200

Despite his sluggish second half, James Wood’s total production this season still earned him recognition as one of the best hitters in baseball.

Wood today was named a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award, one of six National League outfielders in the running for the honor. Three winners will be named Nov. 6, along with the winners for each of the league’s other positions.

Joining Wood on the list of finalists are the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Mets’ Juan Soto, the Marlins’ Kyle Stowers and the Cubs’ Kyle Tucker.

Wood finished the season with 38 doubles, 31 home runs, 94 RBIs, a .256 batting average, .350 on-base percentage and .475 slugging percentage, plus 15 stolen bases. Among NL outfielders, the 23-year-old ranked in the top three in doubles, homers and extra-base hits.

It was a dynamic first half of the season, though, that put Wood in a position to finish with those numbers and earned him the first All-Star nod and Home Run Derby invitation of his young career. He entered the break with a .278/.381/.534 slash line, 24 homers and 69 RBIs, then slashed .223/.301/.388 with seven homers and 25 RBIs after that.

PLAYER REVIEW: BRAD LORD

Age on Opening Day 2026: 26

How acquired: 18th round pick, 2022 MLB Draft

MLB service time: 1 year

2025 salary: $760,000