The Washington Nationals rebuild has hit a crisis point

Things are getting ugly in the Nation’s Capital, with frustration boiling over a stalled out rebuild

The 2025 Washington Nationals just hit rock bottom last night. They dropped their seventh straight game with 4-3 loss to the Marlins. The false comebacks that come up short due are feeling increasingly hollow. Talk of how the “boys battled” has become more stale than ever. Besides the adorable Bruce the Bat Dog, there is not a whole lot to cheer for in DC.

While the loss was probably the rock bottom of the season, manager Davey Martinez made sure to drag things even further down. The Nationals skipper went on a rant where he took zero accountability and said the teams struggles are “never on coaching”. It was an awful answer that can’t have gone down well in the locker room.

The 2025 version of Davey has been different from the character Nationals fans have become accustomed to. He has felt oddly detached from the outside looking in. On numerous occasions, the camera has panned to Davey after a questionable call, but the Nationals manager is just staring into space. The answer he gave last night felt like the answer of a guy who is struggling with the burden of being on the hot seat.

We wrote about Davey’s lack of energy earlier this season, and nothing has changed since. The only people he is willing to stand up for is his coaching staff. His answer last night spoke to a culture problem that exists within the locker room. What do the young players think when they see their manager throw them under the bus like that?

That brings us to a more macro level problem. What is going on with this rebuild? The Nats are a season low 10 games under .500, and look poised for another season with a record around 71-91. With the exciting young talent on the roster, the Nats should be rising up the standings.

However, there are still so many holes on this roster. Simply put, Mike Rizzo did not have a good enough offseason. Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Bell, the two big bats Rizzo brought in both have negative WAR. Rizzo has had to release three of his bullpen additions in Lucas Sims, Colin Poche and Jorge Lopez. For the rotation, Trevor Williams has reverted to 2023 form after getting a multi-year deal. While Michael Soroka has had his moments, he has missed time and his ERA is over 5.

This was billed as a step forward season for the Nats. Something similar to the 2011 season where they showed a lot of promise and finished 80-81. However, this year has been more of the same for Nats fans who desperately want to see winning baseball again.

Barring significant changes in performances, the Nationals can’t afford to run it back with Davey Martinez next season. There have not been any new voices in the coaching staff for years, and as much as Martinez disagrees, it is clear they are needed.

Nationals fans have been very patient during this rebuild. After all, these are the same guys who brought World Series glory to DC, why can’t they do it again. However, as the years go on, it is becoming clearer that these guys cannot repeat the 2019 magic.

It was a different set of circumstances. Davey Martinez was given a veteran team who responded to him and his methods. Those methods don’t seem to be working as well with a younger team. Based on last night’s outburst, it is clear that Martinez will not be changing his methods. He is tied to the hip with a coaching staff that is struggling. Developing young players is not Davey’s strength. He is at his best when he is tasked with bringing a veteran team together like he did in 2019.

It is also a different set of circumstances for GM Mike Rizzo. In the 2010’s, ownership gave Rizzo a big budget which allowed him to take chances and be at his dealing best. Rizzo, like Martinez is not at his best when tasked with developing a younger roster. He can do it, but he is more comfortable in a gig like the one Dave Dombrowski has in Philadelphia.

Whether you blame the Lerner family, Mike Rizzo, Davey Martinez, or a combination of all three, it is clear something is not right. For the first time, it feels like the Nationals rebuild plan is well behind schedule. In 2023, the Nats were a plucky over performing team that won 71 games with an 100 loss roster. Last year, we saw corner stone guys such as James Wood and Dylan Crews debut. While they won 71 games again, it felt like a much more real 71 win team.

While the core is performing well for the most part in 2025, it is not getting them anywhere in the win column. It is kind of scary that James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams are all taking big steps, yet they might lose even more games. That is a big indictment on the rest of the roster that should be supplementing those guys. Someone said that without the Soto trade, the Nats would be a White Sox or Rockies level disaster, and it is tough to disagree.

The Nationals have hit a crisis point in their rebuild. Their core guys are performing, but they aren’t going anywhere in the standings. It is clear they cannot run back the same triumvirate of Lerner, Rizzo and Martinez next season. The rebuild is stuck and something has got to give.