SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025

THE LEAD

Although, for my money, the Nationals had perhaps the best City Connect jerseys in the sport for the past three years (with an easily identifiable significance to any local), which was reflected in how well they sold, Nike must go on making more money. So, the cherry blossom jerseys were retired over the winter with the promise of new jerseys this spring. And - after a couple of leaks over the weekend - they were officially unveiled yesterday in front of the newly redesigned team store at the stadium, with Mayor Muriel Bowser doing the honors.

I was skeptical that the new jerseys could come close to the old ones, which when they were released set City Connect sales records and nailed so many little details perfectly (the whole color scheme, the windswept blossoms on the side of the hat, the inlaid design on the jerseys themselves), but I must say that the new ones have exceeded my expectations. What do I like about them? First off, I love the city street map hologram design on the jerseys themselves. One set of my club volleyball jerseys the last few years had the same detail, and it looks great - 10/10, no notes there. The patch on the sleeve is also superb; the outline of the Capitol dome on the bottom of the W is an outstanding touch (it can also be seen on the W that adorns the hats), as is the background of the patch, which evokes the ceiling of the underground Metro stations. And they kept some smaller nods to the cherry blossoms, both on the patch and the sleeve cuffs.

What do I like less? I will cop to never being a huge fan of the blocky interlocking DC from the early days of the franchise, and giving both that logo and the numbers on the back a three-dimensional typeface comes across as too clunky for this author. Perhaps the DC would have been better in the previous City Connect typeface (“WSH” is definitely worse than “DC”), which drew directly from the look of the Washington Monument. Additionally, while I don’t mind the shade of blue per se, I do question the decision to make the star color something called “American Denim” - DC is rather famously not a casual town where people wear jeans a lot, and in any case Levi Strauss and Jacob Taylor (co-owners of the original patent for blue jeans) got their start in San Francisco and Reno, respectively.

Finally, in a nice touch, the jerseys were unveiled with a song written for the occasion by Rockville natives O.A.R. called “Our Diamond, Our District,” which will be heard at home games throughout the year (perhaps as the lineup intro song?) and at the band’s postgame Nats Park concert on May 9th.

Read more about yesterday’s unveil at Nats Park

 SPRING TRAINING COVERAGE 2025

Game Recap & Game Preview

Yesterday afternoon, the Washington Nationals played a split-squad doubleheader, facing the Houston Astros at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach and the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter as the finale to their 2025 Grapefruit League schedule.

The games went very differently, as the contrast in the quality of each squad was not reflected in the results.​

In the home matchup against the Astros, the Nationals fielded a lineup resembling their likely Opening Day roster. CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, James Wood, and all of the stars took the field to begin the game. None of them went from start to finish, which was certainly for the better, with game one just four days out. The team scored six runs on seven hits, but they still made two errors in the field. Only one was from a starter in Abrams, but the defense also had a bright spot with a beautiful Crews outfield assist to nail Cooper Hummel at third base.

In the road game against the Cardinals, the Nationals featured a mix of prospects and non-roster invitees. Jackson Rutledge started for the Nationals, pitching one inning and allowing no runs on one hit. The offense struggled to find momentum, managing only two runs, one in the fifth inning when Alex Call singled and one in the ninth on a Brandon Pimentel groundout. The Cardinals' pitching staff kept the Nationals' bats quiet, but the bullpen did extremely well, and the Nats ended their 2025 Grapefruit League schedule with a 2-1 win. The final Florida record was 13-15.​

Up next:

The Nationals will play their exhibition game with the Orioles today live on MASN, weather permitting. They will then have Tuesday and Wednesday off before MacKenzie Gore takes the mound on Thursday against Zack Wheeler and the Phillies on Thursday for Opening Day.

 Nats Report Exclusive

Washington Nationals May Add Yepez, Tena, Adams, and Knizner to Roster, Source Suggests

After a busy spring training, the team has been finalizing its 26-man roster, and according to a source, Juan Yepez, José Tena, Riley Adams, and Andrew Knizner might be among the players considered for spots with the team. However, nothing is set in stone yet; we should know more today after the exhibition game with the Baltimore Orioles at Nationals Park. These players have earned their spots with impressive performances during the 2025 spring training, bringing a mix of power, versatility, and defensive stability to the roster. [Read More here]

Get ready—our Opening Day Live Blog launches tomorrow morning, just in time for the first pitch! All season long, we’ll roll out a monthly live blog packed with game action, updates, and tons more.

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 WHAT WE THINK THE NATIONALS FRONT OFFICE IS READING

Speed Reads

📌 One Big Spring Training Takeaway For Each Team (MLB.com)

📌 Baseball Bar-B-Cast NL East Preview (Yahoo!)

📌 2025 Season Predictions (The Athletic)