Nationals pitchers, catchers report to spring training with questions surrounding new-look roster

The pitchers and catchers of the new-look Washington Nationals hit the field in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday to start the first spring training in the franchise’s new era.

First-year manager Blake Butera and new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni are leading a rebuilding roster that traded away All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore last month.

The new brass said they feel confident, though. The pitchers and catchers were required to report on Wednesday, but several major league position players joined them. Minor leaguers who attended an earlier workout camp have accompanied the group in early activities.

It’s a promising sign for a young roster that lacks a clear leader in the clubhouse. Only four players on the 40-man roster are 30 or older as spring training begins.

“A big part of culture for me is it’s a player-led clubhouse. You need some player-leaders to step up and be that voice and set the tone,” Butera, 33, said. “When you bring in an entirely new coaching staff, you get the chance to really get to know these players and see how things play out.”

Butera said his staff came to Florida with open minds. They’re looking to see who steps up as a leader and who proves themselves as a capable starter on the field.

“A lot of what goes into it is making sure these guys are hungry, are driven. That’s one of the things that’s stood out the most,” Butera said. “When you talk to each one of them individually, they feel like there’s more in the tank and they have another gear they want to get to.”

There are plenty of openings throughout the lineup. The first base spot is up for grabs after the Nationals waived Nathaniel Lowe last season and declined to re-sign Josh Bell this winter. Contenders include utility infielders Luis Garcia and Trey Lipscomb, rising prospect Yohandy Morales and the hard-hitting Abimelec Ortiz.

At catcher, returning backstop Keibert Ruiz will look to fend off the newly acquired Harry Ford, a top prospect in Washington’s farm system.

“There’s a lot more questions than answers right now,” Butera said of his roster. “It’s our job to take a step back and objectively look at what we’re seeing and evaluating over these next four, five, six weeks and answer those questions.”

The pitching rotation is the biggest question mark. Gore’s absence means the Opening Day spot is up for grabs. Former bullpen arms such as Brad Lord and Mitchell Parker could eat innings as starters, as could former All-Star Josiah Gray.

Gray hasn’t pitched since the beginning of the 2024 campaign due to an elbow injury, but he’ll work with the team over the next few weeks.

Butera wouldn’t declare any starting pitchers this week.

“We have a pretty good grasp of what we want the rotation to look like,” he said. “Do we have it solidified? By no means, no. But do we have a good feel of a couple locks? Yeah. But it’s Feb. 10. We’ll see.”

Toboni hasn’t stopped adding potential impact arms. The Nationals traded pitcher George Soriano to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-handed reliever Andre Granillo on Tuesday.

Granillo tossed 21 innings for St. Louis last season, his first as a big leaguer. The 25-year-old posted a 4.71 ERA.

On Wednesday, Toboni added another former Cardinal — starting pitcher Miles Mikolas. The 37-year-old is a two-time All-Star who has started at least 30 games in six of the last eight seasons. His performances have dwindled in recent years, though. His 4.98 ERA over the last three seasons kept the Cardinals from re-signing him.

Washington’s inexperienced roster hasn’t inspired any confidence in the broader baseball ecosystem — at least not for this season. Fangraphs’ analytics projected that the Nationals would win just 63 games this season, the worst in the league.

“There’s going to be lots of ups and downs throughout the season,” Butera said. “In year one, just want to establish a culture that we feel really good about and we establish that this is a place we come in every day and try to be the best version of ourselves.”

The rest of the Nationals roster reports to spring training on Monday. The first exhibition games are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21.

Washington will then have about five weeks before opening the 2026 season on March 26 against the Chicago Cubs.