PITTSBURGH, PA - The Athletic’s latest poll of baseball executives delivered a sobering verdict for the Washington Nationals’ front office: the Nats landed in the bottom third of MLB, scraping together just a single point, courtesy of one fifth-place vote from a rival executive. Only one out of 40 polled was willing to acknowledge Washington as a top-five operation, leaving them just above the ten teams that received no votes, including the Miami Marlins.

How the Nationals Stack Up

Let’s put the numbers in perspective:

The Dodgers were the clear consensus pick, while the Braves, Phillies, and Mets all drew significant respect. The Nationals, meanwhile, were nearly invisible in the eyes of their peers.

From Champions to Rebuilders

Not long ago, the Nationals were the toast of baseball, winning four division titles between 2012 and 2017 and capping their run with a World Series championship in 2019. Since then, it’s been a steep slide. From 2020 through 2024, Washington has lost a major-league high 420 games—a figure that reflects both the depth of their rebuild and the pain of their transition.

Some of this downturn was by design. Under longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, the Nats traded away stars like Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, and Trea Turner to restock the farm system. The Soto deal, in particular, brought in a haul of prospects that now form the core of the team’s future. But the returns from other trades have been less impressive, and the franchise is still searching for a clear direction forward.

There are reasons for cautious optimism. The Nationals hold the first overall pick in this summer’s draft, giving Rizzo, known for his keen scouting eye, a chance to make a franchise-altering selection. Recent drafts and trades have brought promising young talent like Dylan Crews, James Wood, and MacKenzie Gore. But the front office’s reputation remains in flux, and executives around the league are waiting to see if Washington can turn potential into results.

The Verdict

The Nationals’ front office is at a crossroads. The poll results from The Athletic are a blunt assessment: Washington is not viewed as a leader in innovation, process, or results among its peers. The next few seasons—and especially this year’s top draft pick—will be critical in determining whether the Nats can climb out of the bottom tier and rejoin baseball’s elite.

The message from around the league is clear: the Nationals have much to prove, both on the field and in the front office.