The Nationals missed an opportunity this season. They can’t afford to do it again next year

LOS ANGELES — This is the city of stars.

No matter the sport, the entertainment capital has cheered on many luminaries. From Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to Sandy Koufax and Wayne Gretzky to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Excellence isn’t a standard in L.A. It’s a mandate, an expectation. The Dodgers’ lineup is another reminder of that lofty benchmark. And, although the lineup sports impressive names, the production hasn’t matched that stature.

Frankly, the Nationals could argue they have the best non-Shohei Ohtani player in this weekend series: two-time All-Star slugger James Wood. Entering Saturday, Wood was fourth in weighted runs created plus (149), in a three-way tie for 11th in homers (30) and second in runs scored (100) among qualified hitters.

The only qualified hitters with a higher wRC+ than Wood are two MVP candidates (Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong) and Boston’s Willson Contreras. By any measure, Wood’s producing at the rate of one of the best five hitters. Is he aware of his place in the sport’s hierarchy?

“Not really,” Wood said before Saturday’s game.

Like most great players, Wood is focused on areas of his game that need sharpening or improving. Relishing his stellar season is for years from now, when his career is done, not the present when there are games to be played.

Although the Nationals were competitive for much of this season, it won’t result in a playoff berth. A season without postseason baseball is a missed opportunity when you have a player as transcendent as Wood and a group of position players as potent as the Nationals have.

The Nationals watched another lead slip away when Clayton Beeter allowed a three-run seventh-inning homer to Tommy Edman that put the Dodgers in front in Saturday’s 6-5 loss. It was the Nationals’ 36th blown save of the season, one away from tying the single-season record.

It’s rare to have players as good as Wood is. Expectations were low for the Nationals entering this season, and they’ve largely overachieved, having already clinched a better record than last season.

It’s not a one-for-one comparison, but the Chicago White Sox went from dysfunctional to thriving rather quickly, given they set the modern-era loss record in 2024. In 2026, they are leading the AL Central and competing for a postseason berth. But the signs that the White Sox were taking the next steps began around this time last season.

Even as their pitching proved unreliable, their offense was explosive. Chicago had more major league-ready talent at the upper levels of the minors than the Nationals, but the White Sox’s roster didn’t have a player as good as Wood or CJ Abrams or Cade Cavalli, who turned in another masterful performance by allowing two runs over six innings with eight strikeouts Saturday.

Miguel Vargas blossomed, being named a first-time All-Star in 2026 by adding power to pair with his impressive bat-to-ball skills. Colson Montgomery looked lost in April 2025. At the time he was pulled from Triple-A games to focus on his swing, he was slashing .204/.313/.361 over 153 games at that level. He’s now a 30-homer, Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.

Add in the deft signings of Japanese superstar Munetaka Murakami and All-Star center fielder Tristan Peters, and improvements from starters Sean Burke and Davis Martin, and the Sox are a team on the rise. It’s also important to note that Chicago didn’t hit on every move last offseason. Trading Luis Robert Jr. and repurposing the money into signing Seranthony Domínguez — who posted a 3.99 ERA before being traded to the Mariners for the struggling Luis Castillo — was not a good allocation of resources, but that can happen when a team is trying to upgrade its roster.

With Abrams performing as the best offensive shortstop in baseball for most of this season and Daylen Lile starting to showcase the bat-to-ball skills combined with plus power that made him an impressive at-bat down the stretch of last season, the Nationals have a nucleus to build around.

Trading Luis García Jr. and Curtis Mead allowed the Nationals to replenish their pitching depth. But Yovanny Cruz struggled with the Nationals, posting a 5.79 ERA before being demoted to Triple-A Rochester, and Will Dion has served as a Swiss Army knife, starting games and providing length. Connelly Early hasn’t pitched a game for the Nationals while rehabbing from left elbow inflammation. But it’ll take time to determine if the Nationals made the right decision to offload.

After competing for a wild-card spot in the first half, the Nationals are focused on finishing the season strong. But next year the team should be competing throughout the season for a playoff spot.

Rostering special players is a rarity, something this fanbase knows well. Wood’s absence made his impact more pronounced. Paul Toboni has done an impressive job of hiring the right coaches to maximize the talent on the roster and upgrading the technology throughout the organization.

But there’s a next step to be had. Whether it’s adding another proven starter — maybe two? — in free agency, adding a positional player to lengthen the lineup or signing more reliable bullpen arms, there are different avenues this team can take to improve the roster this winter. Improvement doesn’t have to be a gradual process.