"While this is certainly a good thing in some respects, it also leads to a lot more questions than answers at this time. As of now, we have no idea if the club will be able to produce more wins than they did last season, but with very few upgrades to the roster as a whole and a mostly rookie coaching staff, it certainly seems unlikely."
"One of the main reasons why they were so abysmal last season was due to their terrible bullpen, which was among one of the worst units in MLB history, yet was somehow the second worst in the league last season behind the Los Angeles Angels. This is not new to Nationals fans, as the team has fielded awful bullpens for a long time."
The Washington Nationals enter 2026 with notable changes across parts of the club compared with the previous year. The roster shows few upgrades and the coaching staff is largely composed of rookies, making improved win totals unlikely. Exceeding 70 wins would constitute a surprise. The bullpen was among MLB's worst and remained a primary reason for last season's failures. New leadership under Paul Toboni is attempting to fix relief depth through small trades and waiver-wire signings. The Nationals signed veteran left-hander Cionel Perez to a minor-league contract with incentives and a plausible path to the Opening Day roster. Perez's eight-year big-league career spans 257 relief appearances with a 4.22 ERA and 1.481 WHIP.
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