Now entering his eighth season as Nationals manager, Davey Martinez knows no team is like any of its predecessors.

The 2018 Nats were desperate to get over the October hump, maybe too desperate, and never even got there. The 2019 Nats were much looser, once they reached the depths of 19-31 and decided to just start having fun, all the way to a thrilling championship.

The 2020 Nats were ready to enjoy a victory lap, only to have it shut down by COVID. The 2021 Nats tried to run it back one more time with a veteran roster, then flamed out in July.

The 2022 Nats had to cope with the reality of a rebuild, then the shock of one of the biggest trades in baseball history. The 2023 Nats were young and hungry but knew they weren’t anywhere close to ready yet. And the 2024 Nats were energized by the arrival of two elite prospects but weren’t deep enough to sustain success for six months.

What, then, did Martinez see in the 2025 Nats over the course of six weeks in Florida? Youth. Talent. And a universal desire to move out of the organization’s agonizing rebuild phase and set the bar much higher.

Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club, hosted its annual signature fundraising event Monday night, honoring former player Ian Desmond with its annual Power of Baseball Award. The Nationals Homecoming Gala, presented by The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation, raised nearly $800,000 to further Nationals Philanthropies’ community impact work. Held at held at The Anthem at The Wharf, the event was attended by members of the Lerner family, the Washington Nationals baseball club and front office, corporate leaders and representatives from local government. Auction items can continue to be bid on until 8 p.m. ET on Friday, March 28, at nats.com/homecomingauction.

The Power of Baseball Award, presented by The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation, is Washington Nationals Philanthropies’ most illustrious award, and recognizes an individual, corporation, organization or local group that embodies the positive character and level of achievement exemplified throughout the game of baseball.

“Ian was the first Nationals player to step up to the plate and champion the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. That commitment and unwavering devotion to the goals and values of the program were instrumental to the foundation of the program, said Marla Lerner Tanenbaum, founding chair and board member of Washington Nationals Philanthropies and president of The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation. “Ian’s legacy as the inaugural Player Ambassador to the Academy continues to make positive impacts to this day, as it is a coveted role passed on to the next generation of Nationals players, and his commitment to growing the game through his nonprofit organization, Newtown Connection, is truly inspiring.”

Drafted in the third round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Montreal Expos, Desmond played the first seven seasons of his 11-year MLB career in D.C. Part of the first wave of home-grown talent within the Nationals’ system, the shortstop quickly became a key member to the organization’s success and cemented himself as a fan favorite both on the field and in the community. In addition to receiving three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and All-Star selections, Desmond was the inaugural Player Ambassador to the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy; a founding member of the Academy Board of Directors; a seven-time Roberto Clemente Award nominee (twice with the Nationals); and five-time Heart & Hustle Award winner (four times with the Nationals) throughout his career.

“Ian played an integral role in the success of the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy since its inception, helping it become the welcoming and positive environment for holistic youth development that it is today,” Lauren McCarthy, Vice President and Executive Director, Washington Nationals Philanthropies. “His dedication to ensuring young people have the opportunity to succeed on and off the baseball field is part of his legacy at the Academy, and we are excited to honor the lasting impact of his support at our Nationals Homecoming Gala.”

The Nationals placed DJ Herz on the 15-day injured list this morning with a UCL sprain in his elbow, a potential season-ending ailment for the left-hander that would explain his spring training struggles.

Herz had been optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, capping off a difficult spring that saw the 24-year-old deal with diminished velocity and poor results while ceding the No. 5 starter competition to fellow lefty Mitchell Parker.

At the time, club officials suggested Herz simply needed more time to get his arm in shape and that he would be in the running for a promotion back to the majors once he looked more like himself.

“We know his velo was a little bit down, but just go down there and start getting built up,” manager Davey Martinez said Friday after the demotion was announced. “And understand that last year, he only had (19) starts. He hasn’t pitched that much. So he’s going to go down there and get ready to help us.”

Herz was one of the brightest developments of the 2024 season for the Nationals, called up to make his major league debut in early June and then remaining in the rotation for most of the remainder of the year. He finished with a 4-9 record and 4.16 ERA, but he authored some of the team’s most dominant starts of the season, including six innings of one-hit ball with 13 strikeouts against the Marlins on June 15 and 10 strikeouts with one run allowed July 2 against the Mets.

The Nationals still have some roster moves to make ahead of Thursday’s Opening Day game against the Phillies. With yesterday’s rainout of an exhibition game against the Orioles, those decisions have been even harder now. No more game results to base them off of.

The final cuts need to be made, players informed they made the roster and guys moved to the injured lists. While some of these roster decisions will be difficult, there is some good news coming out of them.

For the first time in a while, the Nationals are very confident in their overall depth. The regulars on the roster enter the season with a lot of promise. But should anything unfortunate happen to their young stars, there are other talented players waiting to step up.

“It's awesome. Early in the spring when I was looking at everything and the one thing that really stuck out is that we do have some depth this year, which is great,” manager Davey Martinez said. “So we're really excited about that. I can't say enough about our organization. Our minor league coaching staff, trainers, everybody, getting these young kids prepared and ready to play. They look really good. Some of our young guys look really good. Exciting to know that they're well on their way.”

Riley Adams or Andrew Knizner will win the backup catcher’s job. Juan Yepez or José Tena will be the utilityman off the bench. And Jackson Rutledge or Brad Lord will fill out the bullpen.

Due to inclement weather, today’s exhibition game between the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park has been canceled and will not be made up.

Fans with tickets for today’s game may exchange them for a future game with no blackout dates, except for Opening Day. Individuals who received tickets via the Federal Workers offer can make their exchange at the Box Office today or a future date on or before April 30.

Today’s Fan Fest and Verizon Red Carpet at the Nationals Homecoming Gala are still scheduled to take place as planned at The Wharf. Free to attend and open to the public, Fan Fest will begin at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Transit Pier, featuring a City Connect rally towel giveaway, pop-up shop and photo opportunities and displays. Arrivals for the star-studded Verizon Red Carpet will begin at approximately 5:15 p.m. outside of Whitlow’s DC, as players, coaches, mascots and other VIPs make their way to The Anthem for the Nationals Homecoming Gala, the team’s premier off-field event.

Following a career that spans 20 years with the Washington Nationals, more than 40 in Major League Baseball and nearly 50 in the profession, Bob Carpenter is hanging up his microphone. 

Carpenter announced at the start of today’s MASN telecast that 2025 will be his final season as a regular in the broadcast booth.

“This is totally a family decision, and is the most difficult one I’ve ever had to make,” Carpenter said. “These 19 seasons with the Nationals have been the greatest thrill of my career, and I value the lifelong friends I’ve made in D.C. Debbie and I want to thank Ted, Annette, and Mark Lerner, Alan Gottlieb and the entire Nationals family for making this midwestern boy feel very welcome far from home. Thanks to MASN as well, as they have always been professional and respectful to us. But, it’s Nats fans I will miss the most. You have welcomed me into your homes, and I hope I’ve been a worthy visitor. Through good winning championship times and tough losing ones, you have been so wonderful to me, and I will be forever grateful. I truly do hope to ‘See! You! Later!’”

Known for his signature scorebooks – the gold standard across baseball – and recognizable home run call, Carpenter joined MASN as the Nationals’ television play-by-play voice in 2006 after spending 10 years on television and radio with the St. Louis Cardinals and 16 seasons calling MLB on ESPN.

“Bob has become a wonderful friend to all of us and has been a valued member of our team since the very early days of our organization,” said Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner. “He has been the voice of baseball for a generation of fans in Washington, D.C., and we’re certainly going to miss having him around every day. We wish Bob an enjoyable and well-earned retirement with his wife, Debbie, and their children and grandchildren, and look forward to welcoming him back whenever he’d like to pay us a visit.”

After six long weeks, the Nationals have finally broken camp and departed Florida. All that stands between them and Opening Day against the Phillies on Thursday are a couple of off-days and today’s exhibition finale against the Orioles.

Yes, today’s game is the first of a five-year deal between the two neighboring clubs that will see them play an annual home-and-home exhibition series from 2026-29, with this year’s edition only taking place with one game at Nationals Park.

Jake Irvin will take the mound for the last time before he assumes the No. 2 starter’s role and faces the Phillies on Saturday. In his last Grapefruit League start on Wednesday, the right-hander was roughed up for six runs, 10 hits and two homers while experiencing a drop in his velocity. While Irvin insisted it was nothing to worry about, it is something to monitor in this otherwise unimportant game.

Although the Nationals have their regulars in the starting lineup, they aren’t expected to play the whole game. After they get their at-bats, they’ll give way to the group of bench players and prospects, some of whom are still competing for roster spots. The Nationals are expected to make their final cuts following today’s game.

This game is also the MASN crew’s final tuneup before Opening Day. I highly suggest joining Bob Carpenter and Kevin Frandsen at the top of the broadcast at 1 p.m. on MASN.

The 2025 season will be Bob Carpenter’s final season as the Nationals’ lead play-by-play television announcer.

Carpenter revealed at the start of today’s broadcast of the Nats’ exhibition finale against the Orioles he plans to step down at the end of the season, his 20th with MASN.

“I've got a new deal working for next year as a full-time husband, dad and grandpa,” he said. “My objective is to, all season long, thank you Nats fans for the way you've been to my wife, Debbie, and I and our family over these 19 years previously. Let's make No. 20 a lot of fun.”

Though Carpenter made the official announcement today, it wasn’t a sudden decision.

“This has been on my mind for quite a while,” he said in an interview last week. “And I’ve got to tell you, it’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. Because I feel like I still have my fastball. I don’t feel like I’ve lost it yet. But I’ve seen some guys who stayed too long, and I don’t want to be one of those guys.”

Over the last six weeks, we’ve written a lot of words here about the Nationals. A lot more about some of them than others. It’s just the nature of spring training, where a handful of seemingly important storylines get most of the attention while others get ignored.

But that’s why we write this final piece at the end of camp every year. It’s an opportunity to look back at the last month and a half and question if we might have been paying attention to the wrong things all along.

So without further ado, here’s our annual look back at what storylines we made too big a deal out of, and what storylines we potentially glossed over …

TOO BIG A DEAL: THE FIFTH STARTER
The biggest position battle of the spring was between three young left-handers trying to win the only open spot in the Opening Day rotation. Truth be told, it wasn’t much of a battle. DJ Herz struggled to get his velocity up and ultimately needs more time at Triple-A. Shinnosuke Ogasawara pretty clearly wasn’t big league material yet and needed to be sent to Triple-A as well. So Mitchell Parker won the job not by doing anything special, but just by looking OK. Here’s the thing, though: We’ll probably end up seeing all of them in the majors at some point this season. And we could see other starters as well: Brad Lord, Tyler Stuart, Andry Lara. Oh, yeah, there’s also Cade Cavalli, who could be ready by June or so. Point is, it doesn’t really matter who the fifth starter is in April. It’ll probably be someone else come September.

GLOSSED OVER: IMPROVED DEFENSE
Most of the attention given to the newcomers to the Nationals lineup centered on their offensive prowess (or lack thereof). But the biggest improvement might actually be in the field. Nathaniel Lowe is a Gold Glove first baseman who will make everyone around him better. Paul DeJong looked spectacular at third base and will be a massive defensive upgrade over last year’s consortium at the hot corner. Dylan Crews isn’t a newcomer, but a full season of him in right field could be special. And we already know Jacob Young is outstanding in center field. If the middle infielders and catcher can just be average, the Nats could have their first really good defensive team in a while.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals broke camp this afternoon and left for Palm Beach International Airport. They’ll arrive in Washington this evening having spent the last six weeks evaluating a roster they believe is much improved from a year ago, but one that’s still not 100 percent settled.

Manager Davey Martinez said the team won’t make its final cuts until after Monday’s exhibition finale against the Orioles at Nationals Park, leaving the fates of a number of players on the bubble up in the air for another 24 hours.

“This is tough,” Martinez said following an 8-5 loss to the Astros in the Grapefruit League finale. “It really is.”

The Nats settled their fifth starter competition Friday, optioning DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara to Triple-A Rochester to leave the spot for Mitchell Parker. But they’ve still got four more roster spots to figure out: backup catcher, 26th man on the bench and two bullpen jobs.

The bullpen situation is the most complicated, because of several moving parts. Derek Law, projected all along to make the team, now appears likely to open the season on the 15-day injured list because his arm hasn’t recovered well enough from the couple of times he’s faced live hitters in the last week-plus.

New season. New roster. And now, a new look.

The Nationals unveiled their new City Connect uniforms this morning with a special ceremony outside the remodeled team store in center field plaza at Nationals Park.

Season plan holders got an exclusive first look at the new look the team will be wearing this season. The event included guest speakers D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and former National Ryan Zimmerman, along with a video that included former Nats closer and current pitching strategist Sean Doolittle and the original song “Our Diamond, Our District” by local rock band O.A.R.

The new City Connect uniforms, titled “District Blueprint” and replacing the very popular Cherry Blossom uniforms the team has worn since 2022, are an homage to the quadrants, grand avenues and traffic circles that connect the city of Washington, D.C. The jersey features the city’s iconic street grid in tones of American denim. The District’s blueprint, if you will.

“This season marks our 20th anniversary, and my family and I are so proud of how this team has become woven into the fabric of our city,” said Nationals managing principal owner Mark D. Lerner in a statement. “These uniforms are a great representation of how baseball has the power to bring us all together, and we are continually honored to play for the people of Washington, D.C.”

O.A.R. Original Song “Our Diamond, Our District” Pays Homage
to the Nationals’ Place in the Fabric of Our City

Washington, D.C., is a city made by the people, for the people. Our city’s historic monuments are for everyone. But these streets are our streets. This is our District.

The new Washington Nationals City Connect uniforms, unveiled today with help from Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Mr. National, Ryan Zimmerman, are an homage to the quadrants, grand avenues and even the traffic circles that connect us. More than just pathways through our nation’s capital, these are the streets that bring us home, and we are proud to wear those streets on our hearts. This is the District Blueprint.

“This season marks our 20^th Anniversary, and my family and I are so proud of how this team has become woven into the fabric of our city,” said Washington Nationals Managing Principal Owner Mark D. Lerner. “These uniforms are a great representation of how baseball has the power to bring us all together, and we are continually honored to play for the people of Washington, D.C.”

The cap and jersey patch both feature a new stylized block W, which surrounds the outline of the Capitol Dome. The W is flanked on either side by the District’s iconic cherry blossoms. On the patch, the W sits on a tile background, reminiscent of some of the city’s most recognizable architectural features like the Capitol rotunda, Library of Congress and brutalist Metro stations. The interlocking DC on the chest, which was worn by the Nationals from 2006-10, receives a 3D treatment in a nod to the 1956 Washington Senators logo. A mosaic detail trims the white pants, representing the diverse makeup of Washington, D.C., and how its residents come together to form a work of art. Visit nats.com/CityConnect for more details and information.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The day has arrived at last. It’s the Grapefruit League finale. (Er, actually, finales, because there’s a split-squad game as well, though hardly any major leaguers will be there for that one.)

The Nationals and Astros square off one more time at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, a final tune-up before heading north. There’s still another exhibition game to play Monday in D.C. against the Orioles, but this will be it for the Florida portion of the spring.

With that in mind, Davey Martinez has a potential Opening Day lineup out there. The only twist: Nathaniel Lowe is dropped to the sixth spot, with Luis García Jr. moved up to the fifth spot. Could we see that alignment Thursday against Zack Wheeler? We’ll have to wait and see.

Trevor Williams gets the ball for his final tune-up before the season begins. The right-hander has felt good all spring and should be good for five-plus innings today.

Meanwhile in Jupiter, it’ll be Alex Call, José Tena, Juan Yepez and Riley Adams joining a bunch of guys from minor league camp to face the Cardinals in the other game at 1:05 p.m.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Colin Poche has made the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen, the club purchased the left-hander’s contract this morning to officially put him on the club.

Poche signed a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp in early February, but given his track record, he always looked like a safe bet to make the team.

The 31-year-old has 225 games of major league experience, all with the Rays, and last season delivered a 3.86 ERA and 1.152 WHIP in 43 appearances. He was a 12-game winner with a 2.23 ERA in 66 games (all out of the bullpen) in 2023.

With Jose A. Ferrer the only other left-hander in the Nats bullpen, Poche was in good position all along to head north with the team, provided good health. His spring got off to a rough start when he surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks Feb. 25 against the Marlins, but he rebounded after that. In four appearances since, he has allowed just one run on two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Poche joins Ferrer, closer Kyle Finnegan and right-handers Jorge Lopez, Derek Law and Lucas Sims to fill out six of the eight slots in the Nationals bullpen. The final two remain up for grabs this weekend, with two traditional relievers and two young starters in the mix.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – As the Mets kept fouling off everything MacKenzie Gore was throwing at them, driving up his pitch count and limiting him to only three innings in his spring training finale, you could only imagine the Nationals left-hander’s frustration mounting.

Then mention it to Gore, inform him of the gargantuan foul ball tally (24 of the 74 total pitches he threw) and watch his eyes actually light up.

“That’s probably a good thing, really,” he said. “Because I think everyone was kind of aware what was going on. I’m not going to get too caught up in location, trying to be perfect. I was going at them with heaters, and we did get a lot of foul balls, which is good. I thought it was good.”

What exactly was going on today during the Nats’ 5-5 exhibition tie at Clover Park? Gore, confident he was already ready for Opening Day and cognizant he’ll be facing the Mets plenty of times this season, opted to keep his pitching plan as basic as could be. He threw 47 fastballs, compared to only 13 curveballs, 12 changeups and two sliders.

If this game counted, he never would’ve done that, deploying much more deception in an attempt to induce way more than eight total whiffs from New York’s batters.

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – It’s the penultimate day of spring training, which is really just an excuse to use the word penultimate. The Nationals finalized their Opening Day rotation and narrowed down the list of remaining candidates for backup catcher and 26th man on the bench Friday, but there are still a few more things to do. Chief among them: Finalize the bullpen, which for now still has 10 candidates for eight spots.

Today sees the Nats head north to face the Mets for the final road game of the spring. And it sees MacKenzie Gore take the mound for his final tune-up before his first career Opening Day start five days from now against the Phillies. Gore reached the 90-pitch mark in his last outing, and the plan actually is to dial him back today, conserving pitches and energy for the regular season.

Today’s lineup has some different looks. James Wood will lead off, with CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews staying back in West Palm Beach. Paul DeJong will play shortstop for the first time this spring, just a chance to remind him how things look at that position in case he’s needed there in an emergency during the season. And the two guys battling for the last spot on the bench (José Tena, Juan Yepez) are both starting, hoping to do something big that could lock up the job.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Clover Park, Port St. Lucie
Gametime: 1:10 p.m. EDT
TV: MLB.tv (Mets’ feed)
Radio: None
Weather: Sunny, 73 degrees, wind 5 mph in from right field

NATIONALS
LF James Wood
DH Amed Rosario
2B Luis García Jr.
SS Paul DeJong
C Keibert Ruiz
RF Alex Call
1B Juan Yepez
3B José Tena
CF Jacob Young

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Everything was going swimmingly for Michael Soroka. He had bounced back from his first rough start of the spring, completing the first four innings of tonight’s start against the Marlins on a mere 48 pitches.

And then came the top of the fifth, at which point the narrative took a sharp turn in the opposite direction.

Unable to get out of that frame, Soroka threw a whopping 43 pitches to eight batters, ultimately charged with six runs to turn what should’ve been an encouraging finale to his spring schedule into a discouraging evening.

“It was clicking really, really well for four innings. And then guys get on, and I want to kind of try to be the hero, and again just do too much,” the right-hander said following a 6-0 loss to the Marlins in which the Nationals managed only two hits themselves. “I just lose track of it for a second, then you fight back, and hits fall and things happen. You’ve got to get out of those innings and not let it snowball like that.”

This was the second straight start Soroka allowed six runs, this after back-to-back scoreless outings. There are no more exhibitions for him to pitch; his next start will count.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Nationals have chosen Mitchell Parker as the final member of their Opening Day rotation, a decision that became official when they optioned both Shinnosuke Ogasawara and DJ Herz to Triple-A Rochester.

The Nats also optioned infielder Nasim Nuñez and catcher Drew Millas to Rochester, narrowing their list of remaining candidates for the last spot on the bench and the backup catcher to two apiece.

The competition for the fifth starter’s job was the most compelling one in camp from the day pitchers and catchers reported last month. Any one of the three left-handers could have claimed it, but ultimately it was clear Parker deserved it over the others.

Parker, who went 7-10 with a 4.29 ERA and 1.305 WHIP in 29 big league starts last season, had a solid-but-not-spectacular spring. Over 12 1/3 innings, he posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.216 WHIP, improving each step of the way.

Manager Davey Martinez hasn’t announced his rotation order to begin the year aside from naming MacKenzie Gore the Opening Day starter, but Parker has been lined up for a while to pitch the third game, the Nationals perhaps preferring to use a lefty against the Phillies lineup.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – There’s a bit of a chill in the air here in South Florida. OK, maybe not the kind of chill all of you back home have dealt with the last six weeks, but just enough to make this feel a little more like the kind of springtime weather we’re all going to experience soon enough when the season begins.

The Nationals play their third-to-last Grapefruit League game this evening, hosting the Marlins. All of the contenders for spots in the rotation have run out of time to make their cases, so these remaining starts will all go to guys guaranteed to make the team. That includes Michael Soroka, who tonight will look to bounce back from his first (and only) shaky start of the spring.

The rotation question may have resolved itself at this point, but there are still several other jobs up for grabs during these final days. So these remain important games for the backup catchers, potential bench players and the relievers fighting for the two open slots on the Opening Day roster.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. MIAMI MARLINS
Where: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
Gametime: 6:05 p.m. EDT
TV: None
Radio: MLB.com (Marlins’ feed)
Weather: Clear, 66 degrees, wind 12 mph in from left field

NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
RF Dylan Crews
LF James Wood
DH Josh Bell
1B Nathaniel Lowe
2B Amed Rosario
3B José Tena
C Riley Adams
CF Jacob Young

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s officially the home stretch of spring training.

The Nationals have three more days here in Florida, with an exhibition tonight against the Marlins, Saturday against the Mets and then split-squad games Sunday against the Astros and Cardinals. Then they fly north for Monday’s exhibition finale against the Orioles. And then it’s time for the real thing.

Over the course of the last 5 1/2 weeks, the Nats have taken care of plenty of business. But for the most part, any roster decisions they made were no-brainers. They haven’t really had to make a hard decision yet.

That changes this weekend, when Mike Rizzo and Davey Martinez have to settle on a 26-man Opening Day roster. They can’t put off these decisions any longer. It’s time to make the final calls on several position battles.

Here’s where those battles stand …