Daylen Lile’s September breakout carried the Nationals’ rebuild into focus, earning him NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month as he posted .391/.440/.772 with 9 homers and 8 steals. His late-season surge helped him finish the year at .299/.347/.498 with 15 doubles and 11 triples, a month-long feat last matched by Willie Mays in 1957. Washington’s prospects—Crews, Wood, Abrams, Gore—provide a potent core, but offseason pivots around Cairo’s fate and a manager who can maximize a winning mindset for 2026.

With a 66-96 finish, the Nationals are embracing youth and ambition. Lile’s September numbers become a springboard for keeper and dynasty fantasy formats, while Crews, Wood, Abrams, and Gore chart a path to more consistent production. The impending managerial decision looms, but the talent mix suggests Washington could flip the calendar in 2026 with the right leadership and development plan.

Aaron Judge tops the 2025 fantasy rankings, with Shohei Ohtani not far behind as the premier two-way asset. The list blends proven stars like Ramírez, Lindor, and Yordan Álvarez with high-upside youngsters such as Caminero, De La Cruz and Neto, while emphasizing a strong pitching base led by Skubal and the ace tier surrounding Yamamoto and Gilbert. It’s a blueprint for balanced rosters, prioritizing durability, five-category productivity, and upside late in drafts.

Expect a tiered approach: secure elite power and speed up top, chase multi-category stability in the middle rounds, and target high-upside rookies and breakout arms in the late rounds. The guide blends risk and reward, highlighting both steady veterans and dynamic rookies who could reshape the 2026 season fantasy landscape.

Paul Toboni is headed to Washington as the Nationals' head of baseball operations, a move designed to jump-start a rebuild after a sixth-place grind in six seasons. Toboni rises from Boston’s scouting-heavy front office to oversee player development and personnel decisions, with a core group in D.C. that includes James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore. Washington hopes his track record of farm-prospect development translates into a faster path to competitiveness, even as the NL East remains loaded with Philadelphia, New York, Atlanta and Miami.