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*

Comment: There are a ton of questions to address with this group, and it begins with Ruiz. Is the 27-year-old going to be cleared to play after his concussion woes this season? And if he is, can he still be counted upon to be the No. 1 catcher, given his struggles when he was healthy? Is Adams a good-enough backup plan if Ruiz doesn’t get regular playing time? Can Millas improve defensively and force his way into the picture because of his bat? How far away is 2024 supplemental draft pick Lomavita, who got a cup of coffee at Double-A Harrisburg at season’s end?

FIRST BASE
Andrés Chaparro
Luis García Jr.
Trey Lipscomb
Yohandy Morales*
Sam Brown*
Branden Boissiere*
Ethan Petry*

Comment: First things first: The Nationals don’t have a starting first baseman at the moment. Josh Bell is officially a free agent. And nobody else in the organization looks like a viable candidate to start on Opening Day, unless you believe a permanent position switch for Garcia is the answer. Look for Toboni to seek help at this spot, preferably someone with some pop in his bat, though a solid defender may be even more valuable to help make life a little easier for the rest of the infield. Is there a long-term answer already in the farm system? Morales hasn’t quite lived up to his power-hitting reputation. Brown, acquired from the Angels in the Andrew Chafin-Luis Garcia trade, is a potential sleeper. Boissiere is Rule 5-eligible this winter. Keep an eye on Petry, this year’s second round pick who is playing in the Arizona Fall League.

SECOND BASE
Luis García Jr.
Nasim Nuñez
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Orelvis Martínez*
Cayden Wallace*

Comment: The question here is whether the new front office believes in García, and then whether it believes in García as a second baseman. He’s still only 25, but can he finally take that next step and become a more consistent hitter and more adequate fielder? Nuñez may be the most improved player in the entire organization, but there’s still a question about his long-term viability as a big league hitter. Tena and Lipscomb’s time may have already come and gone. Martínez, formerly of the Blue Jays, was signed to a minor league deal in late-September.

SHORTSTOP
CJ Abrams
Nasim Nuñez
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Seaver King*
Luke Dickerson*
Eli Willits*

Comment: Yet another question for the new front office: Is Abrams the guy at shortstop long-term? Would he be better off at second base? Or could he actually be trade bait this winter? Nuñez can certainly handle the position defensively, but he’s still far from proven as a hitter. And then waiting in the wings are three recent top draft picks, with King the closest to big-league-ready, Dickerson only 20 and Willits only 17 but determined to make it to D.C. as soon as possible.

THIRD BASE
Brady House
José Tena
Trey Lipscomb
Cayden Wallace*

Comment: House got an extended look during the second half of the season and looked solid in the field but still has a long way to go at the plate. There really isn’t anyone knocking down the door behind him, though, with Tena and Lipscomb having already failed to make the most of their previous opportunities and Wallace producing a .686 OPS at Double-A Harrisburg.

LEFT FIELD
James Wood
Daylen Lile
Robert Hassell III
Christian Franklin*
Phillip Glasser*
Andrew Pinckney*

Comment: Everybody on the list could play left field, but let’s be honest: It’s Wood’s job. Unless the organization wants to have a 23-year-old designated hitter, the big boy is going to stay in the spot he played all season and continue to improve defensively while putting up massive numbers at the plate. The organization is rich in young outfield depth, with not only big leaguers like Lile and Hassell but minor leaguers like Franklin (acquired from the Cubs in the Michael Soroka trade), Glasser and Pinckney. There won’t be room for everyone long-term, so perhaps Toboni will listen to trade offers.

CENTER FIELD
Jacob Young
Dylan Crews
Robert Hassell III
Christian Franklin*
Andrew Pinckney*
Sam Peterson*

Comment: It will be fascinating to see how Toboni decides to arrange his outfield to open 2026. Does Young remain the primary center fielder based on his outstanding defense, or are his offensive deficiencies enough to bump him from the top spot? Crews would be the likely replacement in that scenario, but the 2024 first round pick does need to prove he can hit big league pitching at some point. Hassell is going to have a hard time cracking the lineup at the moment. The others are all intriguing prospects, but are they going to leapfrog several names ahead of them on the depth chart?

RIGHT FIELD
Dylan Crews
Daylen Lile
Robert Hassell III
Nick Schnell*
Ethan Petry*

Comment: If Young starts in center field, Crews will be the starting right fielder, perhaps bumping Lile to the DH role. One way or another, Lile will be in the lineup because his bat over the season’s second half was outstanding. And then there’s Schnell, a former first round pick of the Rays (who played at Single-A for Butera in 2021-22) who blasted 23 homers in 129 games with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester this season. He’s going to be 26, so maybe he doesn’t fit in here, but he could be worth a look in spring training.

STARTING PITCHERS
MacKenzie Gore
Cade Cavalli
Brad Lord
Jake Irvin
Mitchell Parker
Andrew Alvarez
Josiah Gray (IL)
Trevor Williams (IL)
DJ Herz (IL)
Andry Lara
Jake Eder
Shinnosuke Ogasawara*
Riley Cornelio*
Jarlin Susana* (IL)
Travis Sykora* (IL)
Alex Clemmey*
Jake Bennett*

Comment: How many of these guys are locks for Opening Day? Gore is, unless Toboni is thinking about trading the All-Star lefty two years before he can become a free agent. Cavalli is, based on the impressive showing he had after finally returning from Tommy John surgery. Lord will be on the staff, it’s just a question of rotation or bullpen. Irvin and Parker may have to earn the right to retain their starting jobs after dismal 2025 performances. Alvarez should get a serious look after an eye-opening September. Gray hopes to be part of the rotation coming out of the spring, but the Nats might want to slow-play it a bit with the 2024 Opening Day starter who is returning from Tommy John surgery. Same for Herz, who could be ready by early-summer. Williams hopes to be back by May, but is he guaranteed a spot at this point? Susana and Sykora looked like potential call-ups sometime in 2026, but the former is coming back from lat surgery and the latter will miss the season following Tommy John surgery.

RELIEF PITCHERS
Jose A. Ferrer
Cole Henry
Clayton Beeter
PJ Poulin
Konnor Pilkington
Jackson Rutledge
Sauryn Lao
Orlando Ribalta
Zach Brzykcy
Julian Fernandez
Ryan Loutos
Marquis Grissom Jr.*
Jack Sinclair*

Comment: Squint a little, and you might see the makings of a potentially high-upside bullpen here. Ferrer stepped up when he took over the closer’s role in August, though he wore down in September. Henry had a real eye-opening rookie season and looks like a solid late-inning weapon now. Beeter has the makings of a high-leverage arm as well, if he can just limit his walks. Poulin and Pilkington each had some encouraging moments as lefties, but each still needs to prove it over the long haul. The rest of the names on this list could compete for the seventh or eighth spots on the Opening Day bullpen, but you’ve got to believe Toboni is going to bring in at least a couple of experienced relief arms before then who would bump everyone down a few rungs on the ladder.