After 188 Days of the offseason for the Nats, it is time to return in a big way!

As another Washington Nationals season begins, I want to personally thank you for sticking with us all offseason long. From the final out last fall to Opening Day today, our team has been working nonstop to prepare, inform, and connect with you our readers.

Just like the Nationals themselves, we’ve gone through big changes at The Nats Report. And we’re ready to take our coverage to the next level.

This offseason was nothing short of wild full of major moves and fresh faces within the organization. A new President of Baseball Operations, a new manager, and a roster shaping up to surprise. For Nationals fans, this year promises to be fascinating from day one.

But this season isn’t just about transformation on the field it’s a defining year for The Nats Report too. Our mission is simple and unwavering: Definitive Coverage. Engaged Fans. Nationals First. "Definitive Coverage" means going beyond the box score with context, analysis, and reporting you can rely on. "Engaged Fans" means treating you as part of the story listening, responding, and building a true community around this team. And "Nationals First" means our priority is always clear: we exist to cover, question, celebrate, and chronicle the Washington Nationals above everything else.

That's why March has been one of our busiest and most exciting months yet. Each week leading up to Opening Day, we launched a new feature to make your experience better than ever, and in the middle of it all, we broke the news that Cade Cavalli would be the Nationals' Opening Day starter another sign of how far we've come as an independent source for real-time Nationals coverage. But we're not done innovating. We'll keep testing new ideas and pushing boundaries to bring you the best Washington Nationals content anywhere on the internet.

We're not backed by legacy media or big sponsors, but we have something more important: YOU. We wake up at 5 in the morning to write the Morning Briefing, stay up till midnight to write a game recap or an analysis piece, work on the weekend to put together Game Notes or live blog what is happening in Rochester, or find the best talent to help us develop new ways to communicate to new fans in a new language.

We exist because independent coverage isn't optional anymore. And we exist because the next generation of sports journalism isn't waiting for permission. We do this for you.

The Line Is Being Drawn: Here's the Ask

This isn't theoretical. Sports journalism is changing in real time, and what survives depends on who shows up.

So here's the direct ask:

If you say you care about local journalism but don't support independent coverage with your time, attention, and sharing, then you're not protecting journalism you're watching it fade.

We're not asking for sympathy. We're asking for participation.

Let's make this season legendary together.

Richard Wachtel
Owner/Founder/Editor and Chief
The Nats Report: Definitive Coverage. Engaged Fans. Nationals First.

After 188 Days of the offseason for the Nats, it is time to return in a big way!

It has been 188 days since the National’s last played baseball. Since then, we have seen them replace almost the full coaching staff, especially the implementation of new 33-year-old Nats Manager Blake Butera and addition of many young new prospects, whilst getting rid of some older more experienced pieces.

New Manager Blake Butera has been happy with what he has seen in this offseason, and is finally ready to show the fans how the new squad plays.

“I learned how hungry and motivated these guys are,” said Butera. “They want to be great. They want to work. There was no pushback on anything we asked of them. They came in with eyes and ears wide open, and wanted to try new things, wanted to be challenged.”

Any learning experience or challenged this team is faced with, they are more than talented enough and prepared to face it head on, and create positivity out of it.

The Nats finished 69-96 last season, leading to the huge rework of the front office, team, and coaching staff this season. They are ready for a complete 180, aiming to finish well above .500 this year.

What do you think the Nats Record will be in the 2026 MLB season?

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The Long Awaited and Most Highly Anticipated Day of the Year is Here. MLB Opening Day for the Washington Nationals.

Kicking off their season today, the Nats begin their first 3 game series away against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs, who made it to the NLDS last season, are coming into this season looking to once again be a force to be reckoned with in the NL. The Nats are given an opportunity to put the league on notice, starting their season off 1-0 and try and kickstart their season opener with a win against a team who greatly outperformed them last season.

1. James Wood, LF
2. CJ Abrams, SS
3. Daylen Lile, RF
4. Andrés Chaparro, DH
5. Brady House, 3B
6. Luis García Jr., 1B
7. Keibert Ruiz, C
8. Nasim Nuñez, 2B
9. Jacob Young, CF

Starter - Cade Cavalli, RHP

After sending Dylan Crews down to Triple-A Rochester, this should be the Nationals Opening Day Lineup, but look for any pregame changes in the hours leading up to the game, as Nats Manager Blake Butera has stressed that he wants to use many different starting lineups depending on matchups. This matchup is one thought to be used against a lefty, as the Nats take on Cubs Starting Pitcher Mathew Boyd today.

After 6 straight losing seasons since the World Series Victory in 2019, the Nats can only hope to get back on track starting with game 1/162 today against the Chicago Cubs. Manager Blake Butera is prepared to do what it takes to play winning baseball.

“Whatever you can do to set players up and put them in a position to have success,” Butera said. “When they are able to play multiple positions or hit in different parts of the lineup, it provides them more opportunities to make sure that the situations that we want to put them in can happen more frequently.”

Keep an eye out for some pinch hitters, pinch runners, and even different bullpen matchups in today’s game today, as the Nats look to pull out all the stops to take down this menacing Cubs team.

The Nats actually last played against the Cubs for MLB Opening Day back on April 5, 2012, where they got a 2-1 victory at Wrigley Field. Let’s hope for history to repeat itself almost 14 years later.

What do you think the final score will be for today’s game?

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Although today’s game is huge for the Nats, the next 2 weeks will be non-stop action and challenges for them to face. Be sure to check back in here at the Nats Report daily for box scores and team updates, as the Nats face 3 straight top 10 MLB teams, tallying 9 games against them in 11 days.

Although the hope is to come out of this rough 9 game stretch with a winning record, more importantly the Nats must gain as much experience as possible that comes with playing 3 back-to-back-to-back playoff teams. Our young players stand to gain a lot of momentum and confidence playing teams with rosters littered with former MLB All-Stars and even MVPS, which they hope to get one day.

Who do you think could gets All-Star nods this year for the Nats?

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