WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Nationals bottomed out over the past two seasons with identical 71-91 records in 2023-24 before sinking to 66-96 in 2025, triggering a front-office overhaul that saw longtime GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez fired mid-season. The rebuild accelerated when new president Paul Toboni traded ace MacKenzie Gore to Texas in January 2026 for five prospects, cooling demand for his cards after an All-Star 2025. Meanwhile, James Wood's cards have surged as the outfielder posted back-to-back All-Star campaigns, launching 28 home runs with a .985 OPS through the first half of 2026, while CJ Abrams avoided the trade block and earned his first All-Star nod at shortstop.

Where they stand: Washington sits at 55-56 as of August 9, 2026, hovering around .500 and in fourth place in the NL East under first-year manager Blake Butera. Wood and Abrams are driving the offense while Cade Cavalli (8-5, 3.52 ERA) has anchored the rotation following Gore's departure, though the team recently lost starter Foster Griffin in a trade to Cleveland and struggles against division opponents at 11-24. The surprising competitiveness has kept Wood and Abrams off the trade block despite earlier offseason availability.