The Washington Nationals today announced the first pitch times for the team’s 2025 home games. The team will open its 20^th Anniversary Season at home with a three-game set against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies, beginning with a 4:05 p.m. Opening Day matchup on Thursday, March 27. It marks the second time the Nationals have hosted the Phillies to open the season and will be the earliest start to a season in Nationals history.

The club’s home game times will remain the same during the upcoming season, with evening games beginning at 6:45 p.m., Saturday afternoon games starting at 4:05 p.m., Sunday games at 1:35 p.m., and most weekday afternoon games at 12:05 or 1:05 p.m.

For the 13^th consecutive season, the Nationals will kickstart MLB’s slate of Fourth of July games, hosting the Red Sox for a special 11:05 a.m. game in the nation’s capital. The Nationals’ July Fourth gameday experience will once again extend to Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, for the third edition of Nats on Base Abroad. Members of the Nationals front office and special guests will travel to the air base to host a number of events leading up to a watch party for the July Fourth game, including a full program of pregame activations and activities.

Click HERE to view the full schedule.

Nationals Parks gates will continue to open 75 minutes prior to scheduled first pitch for all games, unless otherwise noted. All gate and game times are subject to change. The full 2025 schedule, including start times for home games, is attached. Games, times and other information is subject to change.

In a free agent class loaded with big names, one name clearly stands above the rest. Juan Soto was always going to be the prize of the 2024-25 offseason, and the now-26-year-old star ultimately positioned himself as well as he possibly could to get whatever he wants, from wherever he wants it, this winter.

Are the Nationals part of that conversation? The optimist would say absolutely they are, with plenty of available money to spend and their prior relationship with their former World Series hero. The pessimist would say there’s no chance of a reunion, not with the Yankees and Mets at the top of the list of suitors and not with the Nats’ lack of participation in legitimate free agency for several years now.

The realist would say there is a chance, but it’s a pretty small chance. By all accounts, Soto loved his first season with the Yankees, who loved him back and who now really need him to try to get back to and then win the World Series. If he somehow doesn’t re-sign with the Yanks, then the Mets are probably going to offer comparable money in the same city. And then there are other big-market suitors like the Phillies and Red Sox, maybe the Dodgers, Giants and Cubs as well if he’s willing to leave the East Coast.

Soto would have to really want to come back to the Nationals, and the Nationals would have to really want to bring him back to make this happen. It’s not impossible, but it’s probably improbable.

Here’s an interesting question, though, that must have crossed a few minds in the last week or two: If the Nats had never traded Soto, would they have a better chance of re-signing him now?

There’s already been a good amount of roster turnover for the Nationals since season’s end, with multiple veterans becoming free agents and several other notable players dropped from the 40-man roster earlier this week.

As the offseason gets underway, there are now four open slots on that 40-man roster, slots that could go to free agent acquisitions or in-house prospects ready for promotion. And if more slots are needed, there are a handful of current players who could still be dropped to create space.

What do the Nats currently have? What do they still need? Let’s take a look at the organizational depth chart as currently constructed to get a better idea of the state of things, going position by position. Players on the 40-man roster are listed first, with some minor leaguers not yet on the 40-man listed below them with an asterisk next to their names …

CATCHER
Keibert Ruiz
Drew Millas
Riley Adams
Brady Lindsly*
Onix Vega*
Caleb Lomavita*
Kevin Bazzell*

Comment: Ruiz was deemed the Nationals’ long-term answer behind the plate two years ago when he signed his $50 million extension, but there will be pressure on him to show real improvement after a disappointing season. Millas and Adams were on the D.C.-to-Rochester-and-back shuttle all year, neither seizing the job. And now that he’s arbitration-eligible, Adams could be a non-tender candidate later this month. For the first time in club history, the Nats used high draft picks on catchers this summer, selecting both Lomavita and Bazzell. Neither is going to be big league ready in 2025, but both are worth keeping an eye on.

Ildemaro Vargas and Joey Meneses arrived in Washington one day apart from each other, Vargas getting the call up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 1, 2022, to replace the traded Ehire Adrianza and Meneses called up the following afternoon to replace the traded Juan Soto.

Neither was a household name upon donning a Nationals uniform for the first time, but each made an immediate name for himself with an electric debut performance, Vargas going 4-for-4 and Meneses homering in his first major league game.

Thus did these two journeymen in their 30s become something of cult heroes on South Capitol Street, maybe the perfect encapsulation of the Nats during one of the lowest points in club history.

That 2022 team not only traded Soto, it proceeded to lose 107 games. And yet amid the disaster that was August and September of that season, there were genuine bright spots, individuals who made the most of the opportunity they were given and became fan favorites in the process.

Meneses was an out-of-nowhere revelation, a 30-year-old rookie who toiled for a decade in the minors, never getting a chance to prove he could hit major league pitchers. All he did during those final two months in 2022 was bat .324 with 13 homers, 34 RBIs and a .930 OPS that trailed only Manny Machado among all National League hitters during that span.

The Nationals made a flurry of transactions to clear up space on their 40-man roster this evening, parting ways with a couple of well-known veterans in the process.

Joey Meneses and Ildemaro Vargas both cleared outright waivers and chose to become free agents rather than remain in the organization. The same was true of Triple-A right-hander Michael Rucker, who declared for free agency after clearing waivers. Pitcher Thaddeus Ward, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles and has thus seen his time with the Nats come to an end.

Those moves, along with the activation of four players off the 60-day injured list (Joan Adon, Cade Cavalli, Josiah Gray, Mason Thompson) wrapped up an eventful first official day of the offseason, leaving the Nationals with 36 players on their 40-man roster as they prepare for what could be a far more active winter than they’ve experienced since embarking on their franchise rebuild in 2021.

The decision to part ways with Meneses and Vargas, while somewhat surprising in the latter’s case, underscores the organization’s desire to move on from veterans who helped the team get through these recent lean years and perhaps signals an intention to more aggressively attempt to field a winner in 2025.

Meneses, 32, became one of the unexpected cult heroes of the rebuild when the career minor leaguer was called up from Triple-A on the same day superstar Juan Soto was traded to the Padres. He proceeded to homer in his major league debut and finished with 13 home runs and a .930 OPS in 56 games to close out the 2022 season. He remained a productive hitter in 2023, though experienced a drop in power and finished those same 13 homers and a .722 OPS despite playing in three times as many games.

The Orioles have picked up 2025 contract options on first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn, lefty reliever Cionel Pérez and righty reliever Seranthony Domínguez. But in a surprise move, they declined the $4 million 2025 contract option on lefty reliever Danny Coulombe.

The club today also made the procedural move of reinstating pitchers Félix Bautista, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells and infielder Jorge Mateo from the 60-day injured list. 

Coulombe has been a dependable reliever for the club since they acquired him just ahead of Opening Day 2023 from the Twins for cash considerations. But now he officially becomes a free agent where he could re-sign with the Orioles or sign with any other club. 

Perhaps the team has injury concerns here as Coulombe was on the injured list last year from June 11-Sept. 20 as he underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his left elbow.

But he finished the year throwing 3 2/3 scoreless over four games and pitched 0.2 innings scoreless in the playoffs.

Halloween has come and gone. The leaves have changed colors and are beginning to fall to the ground. Daylight Saving Time is finished for the year, leaving us with the oh-so-depressing 5 p.m. sunset for the next few months.

And the 2024 Major League Baseball season has ended. The Dodgers wrapped up the World Series five nights ago, which means the offseason officially begins today. Free agents are free to negotiate with all 30 clubs. Contract options must be picked up or declined. Rosters must be set. And teams can begin making changes they hope will lead to better results in 2025.

This offseason has long loomed as the Nationals’ most consequential one in several years. There’s nothing really left to tear down from the old roster. Many of the key young players acquired in the rebuild are now big leaguers, with more to come soon. It feels like it’s time for these guys to start adding real free agents to the young core at last.

While technically permitted beginning today, those kind of major acquisitions aren’t expected to occur until later this winter. You never really know how the offseason market is going to play out, but recent history suggests there will be little movement of consequence until at least early December at the Winter Meetings, and quite possibly not until after New Year’s.

But there will be some news nonetheless this month. Here’s a Nats primer for November to help get you into Hot Stove mode. …

Jacob Young’s rookie season for the Nationals, while stellar in the field, was not ultimately deemed golden.

Despite holding a statistical advantage over his fellow nominees, Young lost out to Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle, who earned his second straight Gold Glove Award tonight.

Doyle beat out Young and the Brewers’ Blake Perkins in balloting, which was determined by a combination of an end-of-season vote by National League managers and coaches and a statistical component that accounted for 25 percent of the final tally.

Young had a particularly strong case for the award.

According to Baseball Savant, the 25-year-old finished the season with 20 Outs Above Average, tied with Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez for most among all major leaguers, regardless of position. His 18 Runs Prevented led all big leaguers and represented the highest number posted in that statistical category since 2019.

The Orioles made one decision today regarding club options for 2025 and it was the easiest to forecast.

The team announced that it declined the $16.5 million option on Eloy Jiménez’s contract, which puts him on the free agent market. His deal with the White Sox included a $3 million buyout.

Jiménez wasn’t staying with the Orioles after batting .232/.270/.316 with five doubles and a home run in 33 games. And after going 1-for-24 with eight strikeouts in September.

He also couldn't play in the field while recovering from a left hamstring strain that slowed him on the basepaths.

The Orioles carried 12 position players on the Wild Card roster and Jiménez wasn’t among them. They optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk on Sept. 24 while activating first baseman Ryan Mountcastle from the injured list, but he was brought back to Camden Yards as an extra in case of an injury.

The 2024 baseball season ended Wednesday night, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 7-6 to win the World Series four games to one.

Last year the World Series was a matchup of wild card teams with No. 5 seed Texas beating No. 6 seed Arizona for the WS championship.

In 2023, there were three teams that won 100 games or more. The Atlanta Braves won 104, the Orioles won 101 and the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100.

None of those teams won a single playoff series. In fact between the three teams, they won one playoff game. The O’s and Dodgers were swept in the Division Series.

Fans were wondering if winning your division and getting a five-day layoff, was working against those teams. This year, teams had no such problems.

PLAYER REVIEW: JACOB BARNES

Age on Opening Day 2025: 34

How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, February 2024

MLB service time: 6 years, 91 days

2024 salary: $740,000

Let’s dive into the first post-World Series mailbag while the offseason heats up.

You ask again, I answer again, and we have the latest sequel to the beloved 2008 original.

This is a politics-free mailbag. Let’s consider it practice for next week.

It’s also an editing-free mailbag. Let your clarity, length and style shine.

An important reminder here that my mailbag gets lots of candy on Halloween and your mailbag gets a toothbrush and dental floss.

PLAYER REVIEW: ROBERT GARCIA

Age on Opening Day 2025: 28

How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Marlins, August 2023

MLB service time: 1 year, 86 days

2024 salary: $742,800

Eight players elect free agency

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired outfielder DAZ CAMERON from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.

Cameron, 27, slashed .200/.258/.329 (34-for-170) with five doubles, one triple, five home runs, 22 runs scored, 15 RBI, 13 walks, one hit-by-pitch, and five stolen bases in 66 games with the A’s last season. He opened the season with Triple-A Las Vegas and batted .307/.424/.577 (42-for-137) with 15 doubles, two triples, six homers, 32 runs scored, 27 RBI, 27 walks (1 IBB), one hit-by-pitch, and eight stolen bases in 41 games for the Aviators before having his contract selected on May 23. In his Athletics debut that same day against Colorado, Cameron launched a game-tying solo home run leading off the ninth inning as the A’s rallied for a 10-9 victory in 11 innings. He earned Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for the period April 29-May 5 with Las Vegas.

Cameron was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training with Baltimore in 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on November 9, 2022, and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on December 2. He spent the entire 2023 season with the Tides, helping the team win the Triple-A National Championship and International League Championship. Cameron was originally selected by the Houston Astros in the Competitive Balance Round A (No. 37 overall) of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (GA). The Astros traded him to the Tigers as part of a five-player deal that involved Justin Verlander going to Houston on August 31, 2017.

He’s the son of 2001 American League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner Mike Cameron.

The Baltimore Orioles today announced the following promotions within Baseball Operations: MIKE SNYDER from Senior Director, Pro Scouting to Vice President, Pro Scouting; BRENDAN FOURNIE from Director, Baseball Strategy to Senior Director, Baseball Strategy & Operations; DI ZOU from Director, Baseball Systems to Senior Director, Baseball Systems & Analytics Operations; RYAN HARDIN from Senior Data Scientist, Pro Player Evaluation to Director, Pro Player Analytics; MICHAEL WEIS from Senior Data Scientist, Draft Evaluation to Director, Draft Analytics; JIM DANIELS from Senior Software Engineer to Assistant Director, Baseball Systems; PETER ASH from Senior Software Engineer to  Principal Software Engineer; BEN MacLEAN from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; BEN REED from Analyst, Pro Scouting to Senior Analyst, Pro Scouting; and SAM KIM from MLB Fellow to Analyst, Pro Scouting.

“I am proud to announce these promotions, which reflect the growth of our front office and the ascent of the organization as a whole," said MIKE ELIAS, Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager. “The pro scouting department has made a tremendous positive impact in shaping our roster and farm system. The baseball analytics group has provided the high-quality information and cutting-edge tools that shape everything we do in our offices in the Warehouse and across our scouting and player development operations. The work of these staff members has been indispensable in our winning more games than any team in the American League the last two seasons. I’d like to thank David Rubenstein and the entire ownership group for their commitment and investment toward continual improvement in baseball operations.” 

Snyder will continue to oversee the club’s pro scouting and player analysis across the majors, minors, and Asian professional leagues, and assist with contract negotiations, 40-man roster construction, player transactions, and departmental hiring. He previously served as the club’s Director of Pro Scouting (2020-23), Director of Pro Scouting Director of Pacific Rim Operations & Baseball Development (2015-19), Assistant Director of Player Personnel (2013-14), Assistant Director of Scouting and Player Development (2012), Baseball Operations Assistant and International Scout (2010-11), and Baseball Operations Intern (2009). In his time with the Orioles, he has had active involvement in the amateur draft, international scouting, compliance, contracts, and salary arbitration, in addition to his pro scouting leadership that has contributed to several impact acquisitions. He graduated with honors from Princeton University (NJ) in 2008 with a degree in economics, and he received his master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from Johns Hopkins University in 2019. Snyder and his wife, Lindsay, reside in Frederick, Md. with their two children, Ellie and Jonah. 

Fournie oversees baseball economic research and advance scouting, while advising the baseball operations team on roster management, transactions, and contracts. He just completed his ninth season in Major League Baseball and third with the Orioles after spending his first six years in the industry in various baseball operations roles with the Houston Astros from 2016-21. Fournie attended the University of Missouri and received dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and sport management and received his master’s degree in sport management from the University of Florida, where he also minored in statistics and entrepreneurship.

Zou just completed his eighth season with the Orioles and third as the Director, Baseball Systems. He will continue to oversee development of internal baseball operations information systems and contributes to various initiatives related to baseball technology and analytics. Zou started with the organization in 2017 as Developer of Baseball Systems before being promoted to Manager of Baseball Systems in 2020. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in mathematics and resides in Ellicott City, Md. with his wife and daughters.

PLAYER REVIEW: TANNER RAINEY

Age on Opening Day 2025: 32

How acquired: Traded from Reds for Tanner Roark, December 2018

MLB service time: 5 years, 127 days

2024 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: JOSE A. FERRER

Age on Opening Day 2025: 25

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, July 2017

MLB service time: 1 year, 94 days

2024 salary: $743,000

PLAYER REVIEW: DEREK LAW

Age on Opening Day 2025: 34

How acquired: Signed as minor league free agent, February 2024

MLB service time: 5 years, 81 days

2024 salary: $1.5 million

PLAYER REVIEW: KYLE FINNEGAN

Age on Opening Day 2025: 33

How acquired: Signed as free agent, December 2019

MLB service time: 5 years

2024 salary: $5.1 million

Josiah Gray was the Nationals’ Opening Day starter this season, and on the heels of an All-Star selection the previous year, the right-hander looked like a critical part of the club’s pitching plan in both the short and long term.

Cade Cavalli was the Nationals’ top pitching prospect since the day they used their 2020 first round pick on the right-hander, and though his career hit a roadblock following Tommy John surgery in March 2023, everyone expected him to return to the big leagues sometime this summer and re-establish himself as a key part of the team’s rotation.

Neither Gray nor Cavalli, of course, was part of the Nats’ active pitching staff at season’s end. They combined to make all of two major league starts this year, both by Gray before he suffered an elbow injury in early April.

Which begs the question: Do either of these guys still fit into the team’s plans, either in the short or long term?

The easy answer is yes. The Nationals absolutely believe both will be significant contributors for them, with Cavalli ideally pitching a lot for them in 2025 and Gray ideally returning from his Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure in time to make a handful of September starts.