August 2, 2022, marked a seismic change for the Nationals organization. On that day, the aforementioned season’s Trade Deadline, Washington sent Juan Soto -- a generational talent who had helped the club win the ‘19 World Series -- to San Diego, along with Josh Bell, for prospects CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell III, Jarlin Susana and James Wood, in addition to veteran Luke Voit.
Now, almost three years later, the Nationals appear to be approaching the tail end of a long rebuild with the help of several of the prospects who arrived from the Padres in the Soto deal. With Wood, Gore and Abrams already making an impact at the big league level, and Hassell having a promising start in his first sample size -- as well as Susana’s status as the club’s No. 2 prospect -- Washington seems to have a solid core to build around, something that is beginning to manifest itself in the win-loss column.
“It’s about competing every day,” said manager Dave Martinez, whose club went into its series at home vs. the Cubs on Tuesday having won four out of its past five games and 10 of 14. “And it really is about consistency. We’re starting to see the consistency. Even the days we don’t [win], I always look back and see what we did really well, and we focus on that, try to build off of that.”
Of the prospects whom the Nationals acquired in the Soto trade, Gore was the first to make his presence felt in Washington, logging 302 2/3 innings across the 2023 and ‘24 seasons and registering a 3.90 ERA in 32 starts in ‘24. After starting this year with a 13-strikeout performance on Opening Day, the left-hander shares the Major League lead in punchouts with 101 in 12 starts.
Meanwhile, Abrams was named to the National League All-Star team last year on his way to a 20-home run season while manning shortstop. In 2025, he’s slashing .273/.346/.486 with eight home runs and a 138 OPS+.
Outfielder Hassell, the club’s No. 11 prospect, made his Major League debut last month and has driven in six runs in his first 10 games.
But without a doubt, the breakout star this year is Wood. After a 79-game rookie season in 2024 in which he hit .264/.354/.427 with nine home runs, the 22-year-old outfielder and former top prospect is slashing .286/.385/.567 with 15 doubles, 16 round-trippers and a 168 OPS+. He’s currently tied for fourth in the NL with an fWAR of 2.7.
“We’re playing really well together,” Abrams said of the Nationals’ young core of talent. “We go out there and have fun together. Just play our game, and the results come behind that.
“It shows what can happen. We’re a young group and we’re playing really tight together, so the future’s bright for us, for sure.”
Over the weekend, the Nationals took two of three from the Diamondbacks in Arizona after doing the same in Seattle against the first-place Mariners. After going 1-3 in March and 12-15 in April, Washington had a 15-12 record in May.
“These guys have been really, really good,” Martínez said. “We have a very, very young outfield, and they’re all getting an opportunity to play. They’re all getting an opportunity to do things that we’ve asked them to do. And they’ve had success doing it.
“Our focus with these guys every day is, ‘Understand how the little things can help you win. And when we do all the little things together, 26 guys, that matters.’ And they’re really taking that to heart.”
The enthusiasm surrounding the young talent has permeated the Nationals’ clubhouse, as some players who have been part of the club for several years now see the rebuild start to show signs of coming to fruition in the post-Soto era.
“I feel really happy, really glad about it,” said second baseman Luis García Jr., in his sixth year in the big leagues, all with Washington. “There are a lot of young guys with a lot of energy who want to make that kind of progress for the team. Every time we hit the field, we’re going out there to compete, and that’s the good thing.
“I’m really happy to be part of this team. This team is going to make a lot of noise.”
“Most of us are young,” added third baseman José Tena. “We want to go out and move this thing forward. And win.”