Does it feel like this offseason has gone by really quickly to anyone else, or is it just me? It seems like only yesterday we were watching an epic Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and the eventual champion Dodgers. And now here we are, less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach.

Don’t get me wrong, the upcoming start of a new baseball season is exciting. It just seems that every offseason moves quicker and quicker as the years go on.

But I digress …

Though it may not seem like it, the Nationals have been pretty busy this offseason. Yes, I know a lot of fans wish there were more moves made to the major league roster, but new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has been hard at work rebuilding the whole organization the way he wants. Unfortunately for fans, a lot of that work can’t be seen right now.

The Nats did bring back right-hander Trevor Gott on a minor league deal yesterday, per multiple reports. The 33-year-old pitched in Washington during the 2016-18 seasons after being acquired from the Angels in a trade for infielder Yunel Escobar.

The Nationals’ most notable participant in this year’s World Baseball Classic might just be one of the stars of one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs.

Harry Ford has officially been named to Great Britain’s roster for this spring’s international event, the second time the young catcher will represent the birthplace of his parents, the first time he’ll do so as member of the Nats organization and as a big leaguer.

Ford was born and raised outside Atlanta, but both of his parents were born in England, giving him dual citizenship. He has spent a good portion of this offseason with his father, who has returned to live in his home country.

The Brits made their WBC debut three years ago and became one of the tournament’s darlings after scoring an upset victory over Colombia before ultimately losing in group play to the United States and Mexico. And Ford, only 20 at the time and with no experience higher than the Mariners’ Single-A affiliate, was one of the breakout stars of the team, batting .308 with two homers, a double, four RBIs and a 1.246 OPS in four games.

He emerged from the experience with an even stronger desire to return and try to lift his adopted home country to new heights the next time around.

ORLANDO, Fla. – As he officially completed his first trade as Nationals president of baseball operations Saturday, Paul Toboni didn’t pause to consider the significance of that moment for him. Not that trading Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners for two young players, including top catching prospect Harry Ford, wasn’t a big deal. But in his mind, it was merely the final step in a process he believed made sense for his club.

Besides, Toboni had a more pressing matter to deal with in his backyard.

“This is going to be a little anticlimactic, I think, because it was,” he said. “Maybe it’s the amateur scouting background, but I think I’m just used to making those decisions and moving on. So, we made the decision, and I kept throwing Wiffle balls to my kid and had a conversation with Harry, talked to Jose.

“I think part of the reason why I had that reaction was because there was so much work done ahead of time. And that makes you feel really comfortable when it does get done like that. This is what we had planned out for weeks. If we are going to make a trade here, this is what we want. All that thought kind of had been done beforehand.”

On the flip side of those conversations were three players who weren’t expecting the news they received. Ford, in particular, took it hard.

Turns out Paul Toboni didn’t want to wait until he arrived in Orlando to make his first significant transaction running the Nationals. The new president of baseball operations got an offer he liked from the Mariners on Saturday and finalized a trade that sends Jose A. Ferrer to Seattle in exchange for top catching prospect Harry Ford and young pitching prospect Isaac Lyon.

And if you saw this one coming … well, congrats, because you’re the only one in the world who did.

When considering potential trade candidates off the Nats roster this winter, the focus seemed to be on guys who are a bit closer to free agency, such as MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams. Ferrer? He was under club control for four more seasons, a 25-year-old lefty with a dynamic arm who already flashed the potential to be an elite back end reliever during the second half of this season.

Why would a team prioritizing young players with plenty of club control trade away a potential building block like that? Because of what the Mariners offered back, specifically in Ford.

This is one of the top catching prospects in baseball, a first-round pick in 2021 who has ranked among the top 100 prospects in the sport the last three seasons, currently 42nd according to MLB Pipeline. He’s 22 years old, sports a .405 on-base percentage, .832 OPS and 92 stolen bases in 454 minor league games played over five seasons.

The first big domino to fall for the Nationals this offseason did so before next week’s Winter Meetings even officially started. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni didn’t wait to meet with other general managers face-to-face in Orlando to pull off his first trade as the new head of Washington’s organization.

Toboni decided to part ways with a left-handed pitcher, but it’s not the one you’re thinking of.

Jose A. Ferrer has been dealt to the Mariners for prospects Harry Ford and Isaac Lyon, the Nats announced this evening.

Ford is a 22-year-old catching prospect who made his major league debut this season with Seattle. He was the Mariners' No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline and their No. 6 per Baseball America. Pipeline has him as the No. 3 catching prospect in the sport and the No. 42 prospect overall. Baseball America ranks him at No. 74 in its top 100.

The 12th-overall pick in 2021 out of North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Ga., Ford hit .283 with an .868 OPS, 16 home runs, 18 doubles, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 97 games with Triple-A Tacoma. He displayed a strong eye in the batter’s box by striking out just 88 times in 458 plate appearances for a 19.1 percent rate.