"If you watched a game at all during this season, you could tell that the Nationals were a team that was lacking severely in terms of the fundamentals, whether it was subpar defense, baserunning, or plate discipline. However, another aspect of the club's ultimate demise is that the Nationals had the worst bullpen in the big leagues, and it was statistically one of the worst bullpens in MLB history."
"After having lost All-Star Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline last year and projected closer of the future Jose A. Ferrer to a trade this offseason, the Nationals are extremely thin in their bullpen. This is obviously cause for concern for a club that needs all the help it can get to improve upon their results from the last couple of seasons."
"One of last year's arms, righty Sauryn Lao, had already been known as heading overseas to Japan to try to rebuild some of his value, and will be hoping to come back to the states in a couple years after spending some time over there. However, where it got strange was that the Nationals had taken their time in officially releasing him or making any sort of comment about his situation."
Washington pursued an offseason roster rebuild ahead of 2026 while realistic expectations remain modest improvement rather than contention. The team struggled with fundamentals—defense, baserunning, and plate discipline—and had the worst bullpen in MLB, statistically one of the worst in history. Several bullpen arms were moved, including trades of All-Star Kyle Finnegan and projected closer Jose A. Ferrer, leaving the relief corps thin. The club acquired righty Paxton Schultz and released righty Sauryn Lao to clear a 40-man roster spot, allowing Lao to pursue a stint in Japan with plans to return in a few years.
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