For most, Thanksgiving is a time for the familiar. For traditions, whether that comes in the form of the food we eat, the family members and friends we gather with, the football games and parades we watch. It’s the ultimate comfort holiday.
For the Nationals, this Thanksgiving is all about the unfamiliar.
Think about it. For the first time in 17 years, there’s a brand-new person in charge of baseball operations. For the first time in eight years, there’s a brand-new person in charge of the major league team. There are tons of new people working underneath both of those leaders. And we expect there to be a decent number of new players taking the field come Opening Day 2026.
So, instead of celebrating familiar traditions today, perhaps it’s time we all embraced change. Instead of turkey, how about serving lasagna for dinner? Instead of pumpkin pie, how about chocolate cake for dessert? And instead of football, how about watching old reruns of the 2019 World Series?
Not ready for that kind of dramatic change quite yet? OK, fair enough. Change can be difficult. And maybe it’s best to take baby steps, not giant leaps all at once.
But you probably should start mentally preparing yourself for a 2026 season that is going to look a lot different than what we’ve been used to around here for a while now.
Maybe the roster won’t be completely overhauled, but the utilization of that roster might not resemble the past. Perhaps CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. will be playing new positions. Perhaps members of the pitching staff will find themselves in new roles.
Maybe Paul Toboni and Blake Butera will emphasize different things than Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez did. Perhaps contact will be out and power will be prioritized. Maybe the Nationals will attempt fewer stolen bases and lay down fewer sacrifice bunts.
Perhaps starting pitchers will be limited to two trips through the batting order, no matter how well they’re pitching. Maybe reliever roles will be defined differently than they’ve been here before. Maybe we’ll even see the Nats use – gulp – an opener!
When it comes time to acquire free agents this winter, perhaps Toboni won’t be pursuing past-their-prime veterans on one-year deals, hoping enough of them perform well enough to be flipped at the trade deadline. Maybe there will actually be a big splash signing. Or more trades. Or more under-the-radar additions that don’t generate headlines but ultimately lead to more impactful play on the field.
Perhaps Butera and his unconventional coaching staff will help this team play better defense all around the diamond and will help extract more out of players of all skill levels, whether that means stars like James Wood and MacKenzie Gore or role players like Nasim Nunez and Brad Lord.
Maybe come this time next year, we’ll be talking about a Nationals organization that finally turned the corner after six consecutive losing seasons. Or maybe we’ll be talking about a Nationals organization that actually regressed and looks further away from contention than ever before.
Point is, we just don’t know what to expect anymore. Say what you want about the people who used to run this franchise, but at least you knew what you were going to get most of the time. It was comfort food, for a whole lot of years.
Sometimes, though, it gets a little boring eating the same stuff every Thanksgiving. Sometimes, it’s time to be bold and try lasagna and chocolate cake, acknowledging it may prove to be a huge mistake … or perhaps become a new family favorite that ushers in a new generation of traditions.