Washington Nationals Receive Surprising Prediction for Postseason Return

When will the Washington Nationals be back in the postseason?

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Juan Yepez (18) reacts after the ball was caught on the warning track to end a game against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

As the Washington Nationals head into the offseason, there are a lot of reasons to like the direction that the franchise is heading in. 

This season, some of the talented young prospects came up for the Nationals and started to make an impact in the Majors. Seeing players like James Wood, Jacob Young, and Dylan Crews performing well in the major leagues is very important for the franchise, and the outfield for Washington looks to be set for years to come with those three. 

In addition to those three young players, the Nationals saw some of their more established young players like CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. take a nice step forward this season. 

The future is certainly looking bright in Washington, but the question is when will they be ready to compete? Recently, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted that the Nationals will be back in the playoffs come 2027. 

“The Nationals' season looked better before they went 3-10 in their final 13 games, but it was still a successful year of building up the roster with in-house talent and assessing some of their up-and-coming players. James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams, Keibert Ruiz, Luis García Jr. and Jacob Young are the start of a solid core of position players, but they still have a long way to go on the pitching side of things. They are trending in the right direction, but they are still likely at least a few years away from taking the next step forward.”

2027 being three years out seems like a long time, and Washington can certainly expedite that with a good offseason. Currently, the Nationals figure to be in the market for a first baseman or a third baseman who can be a force in the middle of the order. 

Like the lineup currently, the pitching staff is very young for Washington. Adding an ace soon would also be a big boost for the team. Fortunately, the contract of Patrick Corbin is expiring at the end of the year, which will free up a lot of money for the franchise to pursue some players. 

If the front office and ownership are aggressive, the Nationals could see a big improvement in 2025. While making the playoffs might be a stretch, 2026 rather than 2027 should be the year that Washington is aiming to make their return to the postseason.