Washington Nationals

{{Main|History of Washington, D.C., professional baseball}}

Multiple short-lived baseball franchises, including two named the Nationals, played in Washington with the National Association in the 1870s.{{refn |group=note| They were: the Washington Olympics for 41 games in 1871–1872,{{cite web |title=Washington Olympics Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OLY/ |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713230643/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OLY/ |url-status=live }} the Washington Nationals for 11 games in 1872,{{cite web |title=Washington Nationals Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NAT/ |work=BaseballReference.com |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713204218/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NAT/ |url-status=live }} the Washington Blue Legs for 39 games in 1873,{{cite web |title=Washington Blue Legs Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WBL/ |work=BaseballReference.com |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713204632/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WBL/ |url-status=live }} and a different Washington Nationals franchise for 28 games in 1875.{{cite web |title=Washington Nationals Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNT/ |work=BaseballReference.com |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713203247/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNT/ |url-status=live }}}} The first Washington Nationals team in a major league played in the American Association in 1884.{{Cite web |url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNA/ |title= Washington Nationals Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |website= Baseball-Reference.com |access-date= July 13, 2018 |archive-date= July 13, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180713203149/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNA/ |url-status= live }} Another Washington Nationals team also played in the Union Association during its only season in 1884.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WHS/1884.shtml|title=1884 Washington Nationals - Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=May 6, 2018|archive-date=July 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713205133/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WHS/1884.shtml|url-status=live}} The first Washington Nationals of the National League played from 1886 to 1889.{{Cite web |url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNL/ |title= Washington Nationals Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |website= Baseball-Reference.com |access-date= July 13, 2018 |archive-date= November 12, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013412/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WNL/ |url-status= live }}

File:Nixon Opening Day 1969 One.jpg at the Washington Senators' opening game with the New York Yankees at RFK Stadium, 1969]]

{{Main|Washington Senators (1891–1899)|Washington Senators (1912)|Washington Senators (1901–1960)|Washington Senators (1961–1971)}}

The Washington Statesmen played in the American Association in 1891,{{Cite web |url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WST/ |title= Washington Statesmen Team History & Encyclopedia {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com |website= Baseball-Reference.com |access-date= July 13, 2018 |archive-date= July 13, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180713195944/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WST/ |url-status= live }} before jumping to the National League as the Senators the following season. The Washington Senators, who were often referred to as the Nationals,{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/senators-nationals-nats-whats-in-a-name/2012/10/05/75e95352-0ef9-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_story.html |title=Senators? Nationals? Nats? What's in a name? |last=Kelly |first=John |date=October 6, 2012 |access-date=July 13, 2018 |quote=Pre-1957, the names were often used interchangeably. |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713201207/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/senators-nationals-nats-whats-in-a-name/2012/10/05/75e95352-0ef9-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_story.html |url-status=live }} played in the National League from 1892 to 1899. They were followed in 1901 by another Washington Senators franchise — a charter member of the new American League — who were officially named the Washington Nationals from 1905 to 1955.{{cite news |work=Medium |url=https://medium.com/@kevinjshay44/did-the-senators-nationals-or-nats-win-the-1924-world-series-cb5714cd9c30 |title=Did the Senators or Nationals win the 1924 World Series? |last=Shay |first=Kevin James |date=November 13, 2019 |access-date=February 7, 2020 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423021928/https://kevinjshay44.medium.com/did-the-senators-nationals-or-nats-win-the-1924-world-series-cb5714cd9c30 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|last=Fleming|first=Frank|title=Sports Encyclopedia|url=http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/wasdc/nats.html|access-date=September 8, 2020|archive-date=October 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022082834/https://sportsecyclopedia.com/al/wasdc/nats.html|url-status=live}} In 1912, another Washington Senators team formed as one of eight teams of the United States Baseball League. But the league and the team folded after just over a month of play in 1912.{{Cite web |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/NASSH_Proceedings/NP1976/NP1976zi.pdf |title=CONTENTdm |access-date=September 9, 2020 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402011938/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/NASSH_Proceedings/NP1976/NP1976zi.pdf |url-status=live }}

The first American League Senators franchise moved to Minneapolis after the 1960 season and became the Minnesota Twins. MLB awarded Washington an expansion team, the second American League Senators franchise, which began play in 1961 but moved to Arlington, Texas after the 1971 season to become the Texas Rangers.

{{Main|Montreal Expos}}

The Montreal Expos were part of the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion, which included the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers),{{cite web|title=Brewers Timeline|url=http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/history/timeline.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Brewers.com|language=en|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616053335/http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/history/timeline.jsp|url-status=dead}} Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres. Based in Montreal, the Expos were the first Major League team in Canada{{cite web|title=Franchise Timeline|url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/history/timeline.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Nationals.com|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616053334/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/history/timeline.jsp|url-status=dead}} and were named after the Expo 67 World's Fair.

The majority-share owner was Charles Bronfman, a major shareholder in Seagram. The Expos' initial home was Jarry Park. Under manager Gene Mauch, the team lost 110 games in their first season, coincidentally matching the Padres' inaugural win–loss record, and continued to struggle during their first decade with sub-.500 seasons.

In 1977, the Expos moved into Montreal's Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Two years later, the team won a franchise-high 95 games, finishing second in the NL East. The Expos began the 1980s with a core group of young players, including catcher Gary Carter, outfielders Tim Raines and Andre Dawson, third baseman Tim Wallach, and pitchers Steve Rogers and Bill Gullickson. The team won its only division championship in the strike-shortened split season of 1981, ending its season with a three-games-to-two loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The team spent most of the 1980s in the middle of the NL East pack, finishing in third or fourth place in eight out of nine seasons from 1982 to 1990. The Expos hired Buck Rodgers as manager before the 1985 season, and he guided the team to winning records five times in six years, with the highlight coming in 1987 when they won 91 games (.562). They finished third, but were just four games behind the division-winning Cardinals.

Bronfman sold the team to a consortium of owners in 1991, with Claude Brochu as the managing general partner.{{Cite book

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| author-link=Montreal Expos

| title=Expos Media Guide 1996

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| last=Blair

| first=Jeff

| title=Brochu group goes to bat for baseball survival here; Expos sale official as Bronfman era ends

| newspaper=Montreal Gazette

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| date=June 15, 1991 }} The new ownership replaced Rodgers, at that time second only to Gene Mauch in number of Expos games managed, partway through the 1991 season. In May 1992, the Expos promoted Felipe Alou, a member of the Expos organization since 1976, to become the first Dominican-born manager in MLB history. Alou would go on to be the franchise leader in games managed while guiding the team to winning records, including 1994 when the Expos, led by a talented group of players including Larry Walker, Moisés Alou, Marquis Grissom and Pedro Martínez, had the best record in the major leagues until the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike forced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. After the disappointment of 1994, Expos management began shedding its key players and the team's fan support dwindled.

Brochu sold control of the team to Jeffrey Loria in 1999,{{Cite book

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| author-link=Montreal Expos

| title=Expos Media Guide 2000

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}}{{Cite news

| last=Blair

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| title=Expos to field better team, Loria says Ebullient new chairman vows to increase salary limit, build new ballpark for 2002 season

| newspaper=The Globe and Mail

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| date=December 10, 1999 }}

but Loria failed to secure funding to build a new downtown ballpark{{Cite web | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1999/03/09/new-stadium-doubtful-expos-official-says/204973de-21a2-4f4d-887d-f32c0deff1dc/ | title=New Stadium Doubtful, Expos Official Says | publisher=The Washington Post | url-access=registration}} and did not reach an agreement on television or English radio broadcast contracts for the 2000 season, reducing the team's media coverage.

{{main|2001 Major League Baseball contraction plan}}

After the 2001 season, MLB considered revoking the team's franchise, along with that of either the Minnesota Twins or the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.{{Cite news | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/08/25/1994_strike_victims_ap/ | work=CNN | title=Gwynn lost chance at .400; Expos denied playoff berth | access-date=May 27, 2010 | archive-date=June 1, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601233417/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/news/2002/08/25/1994_strike_victims_ap/ | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/contraction1.html | work=infoplease.com | title=Labor Pains – A guide to Major League Baseball's contraction issue | access-date=September 24, 2010 | archive-date=August 12, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812115615/http://www.infoplease.com/spot/contraction1.html | url-status=live }} In November 2001, Major League Baseball's owners voted 28–2 to contract the league by two teams — according to various sources, the Expos and the Minnesota Twins, both of which reportedly voted against contraction.{{cite web

| last=Schoenfield

| first=David

| title=Still 30 teams: Contraction timeline

| work=ESPN.com

| date=February 5, 2002

| url=https://assets.espn.go.com/mlb/s/2002/0205/1323230.html

| access-date=February 19, 2009

| archive-date=July 11, 2011

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}} Subsequently, the Boston Red Sox were sold to a partnership led by John W. Henry, owner of the Florida Marlins.{{Cite book

| last=Mnookin

| first=Seth

| title=Feeding the Monster. How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top.

| publisher=Simon & Schuster

| year=2006

| location=New York

| isbn=0-7432-8681-2 }}

In order to clear the way for Henry's group to assume Red Sox ownership, Henry sold the Marlins to Loria who in turn sold the Expos to MLB. However, the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, the Metrodome's operator, won an injunction requiring the Twins to play there in 2002. MLB's inability to revoke the Twins franchise compelled it to keep both the Twins and Expos as part of the regular season schedule. The collective bargaining agreement signed with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) in August 2002 prohibited contraction until the end of the contract in 2006.{{cite news|last=Singer|first=Tom|title=Deal in place, games go on|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20020830&content_id=116907&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=August 30, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021004014538/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20020830&content_id=116907&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp|archive-date=October 4, 2002|access-date=June 16, 2018|url-status=dead}} By that time, the Expos had become the Washington Nationals and the Twins had made sufficient progress towards the eventual building of a new baseball-specific stadium that contraction was no longer on the agenda.

With contraction no longer an option in the immediate term, MLB began looking for a new site for the Expos. Some of the choices included Oklahoma City; Washington, D.C.; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Northern Virginia (such as Arlington or Dulles); Norfolk, Virginia; Las Vegas; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Washington, D.C., and both Virginia locations emerged as the front-runners.

On September 29, 2004, MLB announced that the Expos would move to Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season, returning professional baseball to the United States's capital.{{cite news |last=Myles |first=Stephanie |title=31,395 say goodbye |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |pages=C1 | date=September 30, 2004}}{{cite web|last=Bloom|first=Barry M.|title=MLB selects D.C. for Expos|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/mlb/y2004/m09/d29/c875100.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=September 29, 2004|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-date=May 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526161424/http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/mlb/y2004/m09/d29/c875100.jsp|url-status=live}} On November 15, arbitrators struck down a lawsuit former team owners brought against MLB and former majority owner Jeffrey Loria, bringing to an end all legal actions that could have impeded a move. The other MLB team owners approved the move to Washington, D.C., in a 28–1 vote on December 3 (Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos cast the sole dissenting vote).

Although there was some sentiment to revive the name Senators when the Expos moved to Washington in 2005, legal and political considerations factored into the choice of Nationals, a revival of the first American League franchise's official name used from 1901 to 1956.{{cite news|title=Bringing American Democracy to America's Capital|url=https://www.dcvote.org/news/bringing-american-democracy-americas-capital|website=DCVote.org|date=May 1, 2005|access-date=June 16, 2018|quote=The link between baseball and the DC voting rights movement is a natural one. The decision to name the new Washington-area major league team the Nationals instead of the Senators (the name of D.C.'s former baseball team) stems directly from the District's more than 200-year history of being denied voting rights in Congress. (Re-naming the team The Senators would have been something akin to a sick joke, given the District's disenfranchisement.)|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616053315/https://www.dcvote.org/news/bringing-american-democracy-americas-capital|url-status=live}} Politicians and others in the District of Columbia objected to the name Senators because the District of Columbia does not have voting representation in Congress.{{cite news|last=Plotkin|first=Mark|title=The District's Senators Shouldn't Wear Cleats|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2004/10/03/the-districts-senators-shouldnt-wear-cleats/fc65a973-9b44-4a6f-a154-8138d58456e1/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 3, 2004|access-date=October 7, 2016|archive-date=October 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030203448/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2004/10/03/the-districts-senators-shouldnt-wear-cleats/fc65a973-9b44-4a6f-a154-8138d58456e1/|url-status=live}} In addition, the Rangers still owned the rights to the Senators name.{{cite news|title=In Washington, it'll be "Let's go Nats"|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/expos/2004-11-19-nats-nickname_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip|newspaper=USA Today|date=November 22, 2004|access-date=September 18, 2017|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628221607/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/expos/2004-11-19-nats-nickname_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip|url-status=live}}

File:Nationals Game - 2009 - Stierch.jpg in 2009 at Nationals Park]]

Washington, D.C., mayor Anthony A. Williams supported the name "Washington Grays" in honor of the Negro-league team Homestead Grays (1929–1950), which had been based in Pittsburgh but played most of their of their home games in Washington's Griffith Stadium during much of the 1940s. On November 21, 2004, the team's management chose the name "Washington Nationals",{{cite news|last=Ladson|first=Bill|title=D.C.'s team to be the Nationals|url=http://www.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/was/y2004/m11/d21/c915341.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Nationals.com|date=November 22, 2004|access-date=May 25, 2020}} revealing the club's official colors of red, white, and blue the next day.{{cite news|last=Holmes|first=Dan|title=Nationals hold true to color code|url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/was/y2004/m11/d23/c916186.jsp|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Nationals.com|date=November 23, 2004|access-date=February 16, 2019|quote=Each incarnation of the Senators, dating back to 1901, shares a common bond: the red, white and blue. Each team has featured the patriotic theme of colors on their uniforms.|archive-date=December 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209054555/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/was/y2004/m11/d23/c916186.jsp|url-status=dead}}

The Nationals played their first three seasons at RFK Stadium until Nationals Park could be built.{{cite news|last1=Smitherman|first1=Laura|last2=Lambrecht|first2=Gary|title=RFK Stadium naming deal near|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2005-05-24-0505240065-story.html|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=May 24, 2005|access-date=May 25, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423021935/https://www.baltimoresun.com/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Nakamura|first=David|title=RFK Dugouts Get Preseason Expansion For Nationals|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/02/12/rfk-dugouts-get-preseason-expansion-for-nationals/559df8b3-7d1c-48de-9db5-2746895c2af5/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 12, 2005|access-date=May 25, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423021925/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/02/12/rfk-dugouts-get-preseason-expansion-for-nationals/559df8b3-7d1c-48de-9db5-2746895c2af5/|url-status=live}} Nationals Park was completed in 2008, and the Nationals played their first home game there on March 30, 2008. ESPN televised the game nationally, for which U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch. Ryan Zimmerman hit his fifth career{{Cite web | url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/champs-and-iconoclasts-ryan-zimmerman-and-the-walk-off-home-run/ | title=Ryan Zimmerman and the Walk-Off Home Run | website=sabr.org | first=Steven C. | last=Weiner | year=2021}} walk-off home run to give the Nationals a win in the first game in their new stadium.

{{Main|History of the Washington Nationals}}

The Nationals played their first game on April 4, 2005 at Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4.[https://www.federalbaseball.com/2022/4/4/23008885/recalling-washington-nationals-first-game-in-2005 "Recalling the Washington Nationals first game in 2005"], SB Nation, April 4, 2022 The Nationals finished their inaugural season at .500 with an 81-81 record. Its first draft pick as the Nationals was Virginia native and University of Virginia graduate Ryan Zimmerman in the first round of the 2005 draft. Zimmerman made his MLB debut in 2005 and became one of the team's best players and the face of the franchise, playing his entire career with the Nationals.

When Ted Lerner took over the club in mid-2006, he hired Stan Kasten as team president. Kasten was widely known as the Atlanta Braves' architect before and during their run of 14 division titles. Kasten was also the General Manager or president of many other Atlanta-area sports teams, including the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers. "The Plan", as it became known, was a long-range rebuilding and restructuring of the team from the ground up. This plan included investing in the farm system and the draft to build a team suitable for their new stadium.

In the front office, the Nationals hired well-respected former Arizona scouting director Mike Rizzo to be the Vice President of Baseball Operations, second in charge under then-general manager Jim Bowden.{{Cite news | title=Nationals Counting on Draft-Day Payoff | author=Barry Svrluga | newspaper=Washington Post | date=June 5, 2007 | page=E01 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR2007060401755.html | access-date=September 18, 2017 | archive-date=December 20, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220143058/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/04/AR2007060401755.html | url-status=live }}

The Nationals finished in last place in four out of five years from 2006–2010, but began building the foundations of a contender with their first-overall draft picks of pitcher Stephen Strasburg (in 2009) and catcher Bryce Harper, whom the team converted to the outfield, (in 2010), as well as their sixth-overall draft pick of infielder Anthony Rendon (in 2011).{{cite web|title=Nationals pick JUCO player first overall|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5262217|website=CBS Sports|access-date=June 30, 2015|date=June 7, 2010|archive-date=April 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403131642/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5262217|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1204357-mlb-draft-2012-what-the-nationals-can-learn-from-2011-top-pick-anthony-rendon | title=MLB Draft 2012: What the Nationals Can Learn from 2011 Top Pick Anthony Rendon | website=Bleacher Report }} Strasburg, arguably the most hyped prospect in baseball history, struck out 14 batters in an unprecedented Major League debut at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{cite web | url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-8-2010-stephen-strasburg-strikes-out-14-in-mlb-debut/ | title=June 8, 2010: Stephen Strasburg strikes out 14 in MLB debut – Society for American Baseball Research }} In 2011, they signed Jayson Werth to the team's first big free-agent contract.{{Cite web |url=https://wtop.com/mlb/2018/06/nats-fan-favorite-werth-retires-with-no-regrets/ |title=Nats fan-favorite Werth retires with 'no regrets': report |date=June 27, 2018 |access-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209154915/https://wtop.com/mlb/2018/06/nats-fan-favorite-werth-retires-with-no-regrets/ |url-status=live }} With a mix of homegrown players and players acquired via trade and free agency, the Nationals clinched their first playoff berth and first division title in 2012. Teenage phenom Harper was named NL Rookie of the Year, the youngest ever to win.{{cite web | url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1406689-bryce-harper-wins-national-league-rookie-of-the-year-award | title=Bryce Harper Wins National League Rookie of the Year Award | website=Bleacher Report }} The Nationals were knocked out of the 2012 NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals in five games after the Cardinals took the lead with two outs in the top of the ninth of game 5. After missing the playoffs in 2013, they hired Matt Williams as manager and rebounded to win their second division title in 2014, but were eliminated in the 2014 NLDS by the San Francisco Giants. In 2014, they acquired shortstop prospect Trea Turner in a trade with the San Diego Padres, with Turner eventually becoming a major part of the Nationals' core.{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/06/14/washington-nationals-trea-turner-trade-san-diego-padres | title=Nationals complete trade involving SS prospect Trea Turner | date=June 14, 2015 }} In 2015, the Nationals signed top free agent pitcher Max Scherzer to a 7-year, $210 million contract.{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/nationals-max-scherzer-agree-to-seven-year-210-million-contract-c106764378 | title=Scherzer has 7-year, $210M deal with Nats | website=MLB.com }} That year, Harper had one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history, becoming the youngest player to win the NL MVP unanimously.{{Cite news |title=Bryce Harper Gave the Nats One of the Most Valuable Seasons of All Time |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fancy-stats/wp/2015/10/05/bryce-harper-gave-nats-one-of-the-most-valuable-seasons-of-all-time/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}} However the Nationals missed the playoffs again, leading to Williams' firing.{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/13814518/washington-nationals-fire-manager-matt-williams |title=Washington Nationals fire manager Matt Williams |date=October 5, 2015 |access-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307091449/http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13814518/washington-nationals-fire-manager-matt-williams |url-status=live }} The team hired veteran manager Dusty Baker in 2016, and returned to the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2016 NLDS in five games. They won the NL East title in 2017, but were eliminated in the NLDS yet again after losing game 5 to the Chicago Cubs. Baker's contract was not renewed after the 2017 playoff loss, and the team hired Dave Martinez as their sixth manager in ten years.{{Cite web |last=Nightengale |first=Bob |title=Washington Nationals announce Dave Martinez as next manager |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/nationals/2017/10/29/washington-nationals-agree-deal-new-manager-dave-martinez/811169001/ |access-date=February 11, 2024 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}

In 2018, the All-Star Game was played at Nationals Park. 19-year-old phenom Juan Soto had an exceptional debut campaign, finishing 2nd in NL Rookie of the Year Voting.{{cite news |last1=Dougherty |first1=Jesse |title=Nationals' Juan Soto finishes runner-up for NL rookie of the year to Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/12/nationals-juan-soto-finishes-runner-up-nl-rookie-year-braves-ronald-acuna-jr/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327211719/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/12/nationals-juan-soto-finishes-runner-up-nl-rookie-year-braves-ronald-acuna-jr/ |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |date=November 12, 2018 |url-status=live}} The Nationals failed to make the playoffs in 2018, finishing a disappointing second in a year they were expected to sail to the playoffs.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/01/whats-blame-nationals-lost-season-part-i-injuries/ What's to blame for the Nationals’ lost season? Part I: Injuries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022145424/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/01/whats-blame-nationals-lost-season-part-i-injuries/ |date=October 22, 2018 }} (Washington Post) After the 2018 season, superstar slugger Bryce Harper left the team via free agency, signing with the rival Philadelphia Phillies.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/28/bryce-harper-agrees-deal-with-philadelphia-phillies/ Bryce Harper agrees to deal with Philadelphia Phillies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220164424/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/28/bryce-harper-agrees-deal-with-philadelphia-phillies/ |date=December 20, 2019 }} (Washington Post)

File:2019.11.02 Washington Nationals Victory Parade, Washington, DC USA 306 61058 (49006263467).jpg victory parade]]

The Nationals began the 2019 season with a record of 19–31, with their projected chances of winning the World Series at that time being 1.5 percent.{{cite news |last1=Sheinin |first1=Dave |last2=Fortier |first2=Sam |title=Nationals win first World Series title, storming back on Astros in Game 7, 6-2 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/30/world-series-nationals-astros-game-seven/ |newspaper=Washington Post |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031025850/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/30/world-series-nationals-astros-game-seven/ |url-status=live }} They then posted a 74–38 record over the remaining 112 games, finishing with an overall record of 93-69 and earning a spot in the 2019 National League Wild Card Game, which they won over the Milwaukee Brewers 4–3. In the NLDS, the Nationals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, propelling them past the divisional round for the first time in franchise history.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/for-heroic-nationals-ghosts-of-playoffs-past-are-busted-in-game-5/2019/10/10/a42d6422-ea13-11e9-9306-47cb0324fd44_story.html|title=For heroic Nationals, ghosts of playoffs past are busted in Game 5|website=Washingtonpost.com|language=en|access-date=October 10, 2019|archive-date=October 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010140100/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/for-heroic-nationals-ghosts-of-playoffs-past-are-busted-in-game-5/2019/10/10/a42d6422-ea13-11e9-9306-47cb0324fd44_story.html|url-status=live}} The Nationals then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS, giving them their first NL pennant.{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nlcs-game-4-nationals-complete-sweep-to-clinch-firstever-world-series-appearance-030924865.html|title=NLCS Game 4: Nationals complete sweep to clinch first-ever World Series appearance|last=Townsend|first=Mark|website=Yahoo|date=October 15, 2019|access-date=October 15, 2019|archive-date=October 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016032043/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/nlcs-game-4-nationals-complete-sweep-to-clinch-firstever-world-series-appearance-030924865.html|url-status=live}} The team then defeated the Houston Astros in game seven of the 2019 World Series, giving them their first World Series championship, with Strasburg being voted series MVP.{{cite web |last1=Almasy |first1=Steve |title=World Series Game 7: Washington Nationals defeat Houston Astros to clinch first World Series |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/sport/world-series-game-7/index.html |website=CNN |date=October 30, 2019 |access-date=February 5, 2020 |archive-date=December 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226231227/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/sport/world-series-game-7/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Jill |title=Stephen Strasburg named World Series MVP after dominant postseason |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/31/sport/stephen-strasburg-world-series-mvp-spt-intl/index.html |website=CNN |date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=February 5, 2020 |archive-date=February 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205000122/https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/31/sport/stephen-strasburg-world-series-mvp-spt-intl/index.html |url-status=live }} The World Series was the first in MLB history that saw no team win a game at home, as the road team won all seven.{{cite web |last1=Wagner |first1=James |title=In This World Series, It Was All About Home-Field Disadvantage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/sports/baseball/world-series-home-teams.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 31, 2019 |date=October 30, 2019 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031001847/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/sports/baseball/world-series-home-teams.html |url-status=live }} The Nationals went a perfect 5-0 in elimination games during the playoffs, all of which were come-from-behind victories, the first team in MLB history to do so.{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/10/31/washington-nationals-world-series-win | title=Nationals' Dream Season is Nothing Short of a Miracle | date=October 31, 2019 }}

Franchise cornerstone Anthony Rendon left in free agency for the Los Angeles Angels after the 2019 season. The Nationals agreed to re-sign fellow building block Stephen Strasburg to a massive seven-year deal that guaranteed him $245 million.{{Cite web |date=2019-12-09 |title=Nationals Agree To Re-Sign Stephen Strasburg |url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/12/nationals-agree-to-re-sign-stephen-strasburg.html |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=MLB Trade Rumors |language=en-US}} However, injuries limited him to just 31 and 1/3 innings under the contract, and eventually forced him to retire in 2024.{{Cite news |last=Golden |first=Andrew |date=2024-04-07 |title=Stephen Strasburg, MVP of the 2019 World Series, retires from baseball |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/06/stephen-strasburg-retirement/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}} The Nationals struggled in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the season being shortened to 60 games; the team finished 26-34 and missed the playoffs. After another disappointing start to the 2021 season, in which the team was under .500 at the trade deadline, GM Mike Rizzo disassembled much of the team, trading ace pitcher Max Scherzer and superstar shortstop Trea Turner to the Dodgers, among many other trades of starting players in exchange for prospects, signifying the start of a rebuilding process.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/07/30/nationals-cubs-trade-deadline-mike-rizzo/ As Nats open a new era with a win, GM Mike Rizzo talks about how they got here] Ryan Zimmerman, the longtime face of the franchise who had been with the team since its inaugural 2005 season, announced his retirement after the 2021 season, marking the end of the first era of Nationals baseball.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/15/ryan-zimmerman-retires-washington-nationals/ Ryan Zimmerman, long the face of the Washington Nationals, announces his retirement] On August 2, 2022, the Nationals traded 23-year-old superstar Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres after he turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension offer, which would have constituted the richest contract in baseball history.{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/nationals-trade-juan-soto-to-padres-in-eight-player-deal | title=Nats look to future core after trading Soto, Bell to SD | website=MLB.com }} In doing so, the Nationals lost its franchise icon and one of the last integral players from the 2019 championship team.{{cite web | url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/juan-soto-trade-why-nationals-dealt-a-franchise-icon | title=Juan Soto trade: Why Nationals dealt a franchise icon }} The Nationals received one of the largest prospect hauls in any single trade in baseball history in return, with the front office hoping that the elite prospects would form the core of the next championship team.{{cite web | url=https://theathletic.com/3471243/2022/08/02/soto-padres-lineup-nationals-prospects/ | title=Law's trade report: Soto fills sinkhole in Padres' lineup; Nats collect exorbitant return }} After trading Soto and others, the Nationals finished the 2022 season with the worst record in baseball at 55-107.{{cite web | url=https://www.mlb.com/news/nationals-set-goals-for-2023-after-2022-season-finale | title=Nats set goals to improve in all areas for '23 | website=MLB.com }} That year proved to be the low point for the Nationals rebuild, as young players such as CJ Abrams and Josiah Gray led them to an improvement of 16 wins in 2023, finishing at 71-91. Additionally, the rebuild had strengthened a once-weak group of prospects. ESPN's annual farm system ranking showed improvement from 30th entering 2021{{Cite web |date=2021-02-12 |title=How bright is your MLB team's future? Kiley McDaniel ranks all 30 farm systems |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/30880410/kiley-mcdaniel-2021-mlb-farm-system-rankings-all-30-teams |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} to 22nd in 2022,{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=Kiley McDaniel's 2022 MLB farm system rankings for all 30 teams |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/33296649/kiley-mcdaniel-2022-mlb-farm-system-rankings-all-30-teams |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} 13th in 2023,{{Cite web |date=2023-02-03 |title=Who has the most talent in the minors? Ranking every MLB system from 1-30 |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/35490490/top-30-mlb-farm-systems-prospects-list-2023-kiley-mcdaniel |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} and 16th in 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-02 |title=How bright is your MLB team's future? Kiley McDaniel ranks all 30 farm systems |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/39437646/top-30-mlb-farm-systems-prospects-list-2024-kiley-mcdaniel-cubs-orioles-tigers-padres |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} The Nationals ended the 2024 season with the same record as 2023 at 71-91. However, the rebuild progressed with top prospects James Wood, acquired via the Soto trade, and Dylan Crews, drafted #2 overall in 2023, making their debuts.{{cite web |title=James Wood Ranks No. 1 in July 2024 Top 100 MLB Prospects Update |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/james-wood-ranks-no-1-in-july-2024-top-100-mlb-prospects-update/ |website=Baseball America |access-date=October 23, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Top 100 Prospect List 2024 |url=https://www.mlb.com/prospects/top100/ |website=MLB.com |access-date=October 23, 2024}} Additionally, shortstop CJ Abrams, also acquired via the Soto trade, was selected to the 2024 All-Star Game.{{cite web |title=CJ Abrams Named National League All-Star |url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-cj-abrams-named-national-league-all-star |website=MLB.com |access-date=October 23, 2024}}

In 2022, The Washington Post reported that the Lerner family was exploring a restructuring of the team's ownership, including the possibility of selling the team outright.{{cite news |title=The Lerner family will explore selling the Washington Nationals |date=April 11, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329101059/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/04/11/washington-nationals-lerners-potential-sale/ |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/04/11/washington-nationals-lerners-potential-sale/}} Ted Lerner died on February 13, 2023, from pneumonia complications; his son Mark had become the public-facing principal owner in 2018, though Ted had retained his full interest in the team's decisions.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/02/13/washington-nationals-owner-ted-lerner-dead/|title=Ted Lerner, real estate magnate and Nationals owner, dies at 97|last=Bernstein|first=Adam|date=February 13, 2023|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 13, 2023}}

The Nationals' original home uniforms contained the team name and numbers in red with gold bevels and navy trim, and were paired with the all-red "curly W" cap. The road uniforms contained the city name and numbers in navy with gold bevels and red trim, and were paired with the all-navy "curly W" cap. The front letters of both uniforms formed a distinct bridge-like shape. This set was joined the following season by a red alternate uniform, which featured the interlocking "DC" in white with gold bevels and navy trim, as well as numbers in navy with gold bevels and white trim. The red alternates were paired with the all-red "DC" cap.{{cite web|title=Washington Nationals uniform history (2005–2015)|url=https://mlbcollectors.com/WASjerseys.php|work=MLBCollectors.com|access-date=November 30, 2024}}

The Nationals sported two different sleeve patches with this set. In their inaugural season, the patch featured gold accents, the full team name and two gold stars on the outer navy circle, and the interlocking "DC" on the inner red circle. The patch was tweaked the following season, eliminating the team name in favor of nine gold stars and relegating red to trim color.

{{multiple image

| footer = Ryan Zimmerman (left) in the original home uniform; Emilio Bonifácio (center) in the original road uniform; Nick Johnson (right) in the original alternate red uniform.

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| image1 = IMG 9332 Ryan Zimmerman.jpg

| image2 = Emilio Bonifacio.JPG

| image3 = NickJohnson2.jpg

}}

For the 2009 season, the Nationals kept the same home uniform but unveiled a new road and red alternate uniform, along with a roundel-less "DC" sleeve patch. The road uniform now featured a script rendition of the city name in front minus the gold bevels, with the letters now rendered in red with navy and gold trim. The red alternate replaced the "DC" logo with the "curly W" logo, and numbers changed to white with gold bevels and navy trim.

The Nationals unveiled a new uniform set starting in 2011. Gold was eliminated and the emphasis was on the "curly W" logo, which was prominently featured on the home and red alternate uniforms. The road all-navy cap was retired in a favor of a navy cap with red brim, and a new red cap with navy brim was added in 2013 for home games with the red alternates. The sleeve patch was updated to feature the primary roundel logo. Piping was added to the "curly W" uniforms.

{{multiple image

| footer = Andrew Stevenson (2nd from right) in the "Curly W" home uniform; C. J. Abrams (2nd from left) in the road uniform; Víctor Robles (3rd from right) in the "Curly W" red uniform.

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| image1 = Andrew Stevenson scores on an RBI single by Yan Gomes from Nationals vs. Diamondbacks at Nationals Park, April 17th, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography) (51136648853) (cropped).jpg

| image2 = C. J. Abrams ready to field at shortstop, July 29, 2023 (cropped).jpg

| image3 = Victor Robles advances to third base after tagging up on a Trea Turner flyout from the Washington Nationals vs. Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, April 7th, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography) (51105785416) (cropped).jpg

}}

In 2018, the Nationals released a navy alternate uniform, featuring a script rendition of the team's name in white with red trim along with red numbers. The following season, the navy uniform proved to be a good-luck charm for the Nationals, as they went 11–3 while wearing the uniforms en route to winning the World Series.{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Scott|title=The Nationals are virtually unbeatable in their navy blue alternate uniforms|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/10/15/nationals-are-virtually-unbeatable-their-navy-blue-alternate-uniforms/|publisher=The Washington Post|date=October 15, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2024}} In 2020, a white version was added, with the script version of the team name in navy with red trim. Initially, the Nationals unveiled a pair of white-paneled and red-brimmed alternate caps: one in navy with the United States Capitol dome superimposed over a white block "W", and another in red with a navy block "W" superimposed over the silhouette of a pitcher. Both designs paid homage to the original Washington Senators (now Minnesota Twins) and the expansion Washington Senators (now Texas Rangers). However, only the "Capitol W" cap was used, and the "pitcher W" cap was not utilized on the field at all and immediately retired.{{cite news|last=Creamer|first=Chris|title=Two New Caps and a New Jersey for Nationals in 2020|url=https://news.sportslogos.net/2019/11/15/two-new-caps-and-a-new-jersey-for-nationals-in-2020/baseball/|publisher=Chris Creamer's Sports Logos|date=November 15, 2019|access-date=November 30, 2024}}

For most of the 2020 season, the Nationals wore gold-accented versions of the new white uniforms in celebration of their World Series championship, along with all-red caps with the gold "curly W" logo.{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Scott|title=Why the Nationals are wearing gold-trimmed jerseys on Opening Day|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/22/nationals-gold-trimmed-jerseys-world-series/|publisher=The Washington Post|date=July 22, 2020|access-date=November 30, 2024}} The script white alternates made their on-field debut on the final regular season home game September 27 against the New York Mets, and were paired with the "Capitol W" cap (the red "curly W" batting helmets were used with this uniform). The Nationals did not wear their home and red alternate "curly W" uniforms throughout that shortened season. In 2021, the white alternates were also paired with the primary red "curly W" cap, though the alternate Capitol cap was still used occasionally.

Starting in 2022, the white alternate uniform with the "Nationals" script became the primary home uniform, replacing the white "curly W" uniform.

In 2024, the Nationals updated their road uniform, featuring a block "Washington" lettering in navy with white and red trim. The red "curly W" alternates were replaced by an alternate white pullover uniform with navy sleeves, featuring the "Capitol W" crest on the left chest and a new sleeve patch depicting the "interlocking DC" logo inside the silhouette of Washington, D.C. The chest numbers on both the primary home and alternate navy uniforms were removed.{{cite news|last=Camerato|first=Jessica|title=Nationals unveil new uniforms for 2024|url=https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/nationals-reveal-new-uniforms-for-2024|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Nationals.com|date=January 26, 2024|access-date=January 28, 2024}}

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Nationals brought back the red alternate uniform after a one-season absence. This iteration kept the "Curly W" logo on the left chest, but the piping was removed. Due to Nike's "4+1" uniform rule, the team retired the "Capitol W" white alternates after only one season.{{Cite tweet |author=MLB |user=MLB |number=1883293401069858864 |title=The Nationals are bringing back red jerseys for the 2025 season 👀 (via @Nationals)}}{{cite web|title=Red Alert: Washington Nationals Bring Back Red Uniforms for 2025

|url=https://news.sportslogos.net/2025/01/26/red-alert-washington-nationals-bring-back-red-uniforms-for-2025/baseball/|access-date=2025-01-26|website=Chris Creamer's Sports Logos}}

{{multiple image

| footer = Trea Turner (left) in the script "Nationals" home uniform (chest numbers removed in 2024); Juan Soto (right) in the gold-accented alternate uniform in commemoration of their 2019 World Series championship; Eric Thames (3rd from left) in the script "Nationals" navy uniform (chest numbers removed in 2024); Dominic Smith (center) in the "City Connect" gray uniform.

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| image1 = Trea Turner reacts to umpires from Nationals vs. Braves at Nationals Park, April 6th, 2021 (All-Pro Reels Photography) (51101650464).png

| image2 = Juan Soto Nationals vs. Phillies at Nationals Park, August 25, 2020 (All-Pro Reels Photography) (50270739698).jpg

| image3 = Eric Thames (50337322491) (cropped).jpg

| image4 = Dominic Smith (52995692184) (cropped).jpg

}}

As part of MLB's uniform deal with Nike, selected teams were given themed "City Connect" uniforms. The Nationals' version, unveiled in 2022, paid homage to the cherry blossoms that adorn Washington, D.C., in the spring. The design had a dark gray base with pink trim and printed cherry blossoms. The uniforms were worn during Friday and Saturday home games until 2024. After 2024, the uniforms were retired.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-10 |title=Grading MLB's City Connect uniforms |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39776958/tracking-mlb-city-connect-jerseys-uniforms |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

Their second "City Connect" uniform was unveiled in 2025. The uniform is light blue featuring a white outline of Washington, D.C.'s street grid and an interlocking "DC" on the chest which is meant to resemble the block "W" worn by the 1956 Washington Senators. The cap and shoulder patch features the block "W" with an outline of the United States Capitol dome, as well as two cherry blossoms.{{Cite web |title=Look: Nationals Release New City Connect Uniforms for 2025 Regular Season |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/nationals/news/look-nationals-release-new-city-connect-uniforms-regular-season}}

In 2009, the Nationals unveiled a navy alternate uniform for games that fell during Independence Day week. The uniform featured the "interlocking DC" logo rendered in the Stars and Stripes motif, along with white/red piping and white numbers with gold bevels and red trim. The original primary logo was added to the left sleeve, and a navy cap with red brim containing the aforementioned "DC flag" logo was used.

In 2011, the uniform was tweaked to feature the "curly W" in Stars and Stripes, along with updated logos and the removal of gold accents. The road navy cap was originally used with this uniform, but in 2016 it was replaced by a similar design, with the exception of the "curly W" which was now rendered in the Stars and Stripes. This design was used until 2019, during which the uniform was no longer exclusively worn on Independence Day week.

In 2017 a white version of the "Stars and Stripes" alternate was released; this one is paired with the navy-brimmed red cap featuring the "curly W" in Stars and Stripes.

{{multiple image

| footer = Alberto González (left) in the original "DC Stars and Stripes" uniform; Adam Eaton (center) in the navy "W Stars and Stripes" uniform; Fernando Rodney and Yan Gomes (right) in the white "W Stars and Stripes" uniform.

| align = center

| total_width=500

| image1 = Alberto Gonzalez April 16, 2009 (3449514938).jpg

| image2 = Spanky Eaton (34242357561) (cropped).jpg

| image3 = Fernando Rodney with Yan Gomes 2019 Nationals.jpg

}}

{{Main|List of Washington Nationals seasons}}

1. {{note label|Montreal|A|↑|Appeared as the Montreal Expos.}}
2. {{note label|Washington|B|↑|This and subsequent appearances as the Washington Nationals.}}
3. {{note label|Wild Card|C|↑|The wild-card game was first played in {{mlby|2012}}.}}

{{Washington Nationals roster}}

Note: Updated through September 29, 2024.

{{main|National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum}}

{{Baseball hall of fame list

|Current Team Name = Washington Nationals

| All Team Names = Expos or Nationals

| ColorA# = AB0003

| ColorB# = FFFFFF

| ColorC# = 11225B

| ColorD# = FFFFFF

| Team Name 1 = Montreal Expos

| List 1.1 = Gary Carter *
Andre Dawson *

| List 1.2 = Vladimir Guerrero *{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/guerrero-vladimir|title=Guerrero, Vladimir|website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=February 27, 2022}}
Randy Johnson{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/johnson-randy|title=Johnson, Randy|website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=February 27, 2022}}

| List 1.3 = Pedro Martínez{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/martinez-pedro|title=Martínez, Pedro|website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=February 27, 2022}}
Tony Pérez

| List 1.4 = Tim Raines *
Lee Smith

| List 1.5 = Larry Walker
Dick Williams *

| Team Name 2 = Washington Nationals

| List 2.1 =

| List 2.2 = Frank Robinson{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/robinson-frank|title=Robinson, Frank|website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=February 27, 2022}}

| List 2.3 =

| List 2.4 = Iván Rodríguez{{Cite web|url=https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/rodriguez-ivan|title=Rodríguez, Iván|website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=February 27, 2022}}

| List 2.5 =

| Team Name 3 =

| List 3.1 =

| List 3.2 =

| List 3.3 =

| List 3.4 =

| List 3.5 =

| Team Name 4 =

| List 4.1 =

| List 4.2 =

| List 4.3 =

| List 4.4 =

| List 4.5 =

| Footnote1 = * Montreal Expos or Washington Nationals listed as primary team according to the Hall of Fame

| Footnote2 =

| Footnote3 =

| Footnote4 =

|}}

{{Ford C. Frick award list

|Current Team Name = Washington Nationals

| All Team Names = Expos or Nationals

| ColorA# = AB0003

| ColorB# = FFFFFF

| ColorC# = 11225B

| ColorD# = FFFFFF

| List 1 =

| List 2 =

| List 3 = Dave Van Horne

| List 4 =

| List 5 =

| Footnote1 =

| Footnote2 =

| Footnote3 =

| Footnote4 =

|}}

{{See also|List of Major League Baseball retired numbers}}

During the franchise's period in Montreal, the Montreal Expos retired three numbers in honor of four players, plus Jackie Robinson's number 42 which was retired throughout all Major League Baseball in 1997.{{cite web|url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/history/retired_numbers.jsp|title=Franchise Retired Numbers|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=Nationals.com|access-date=February 17, 2012|archive-date=February 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217043816/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/history/retired_numbers.jsp|url-status=dead}} Following the move to Washington, D.C., the numbers (except 42) were returned to circulation and remain in use {{as of|2023|lc=y}}. When Washington wore Expos throwback jerseys on July 6, 2019, catcher Yan Gomes wore his usual number 10, even though the number was retired by the Expos for Andre Dawson and Rusty Staub.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/yan-gomes-of-the-washington-nationals-stands-in-the-dugout-news-photo/1160609770 |title=Yan Gomes of the Washington Nationals stands in the dugout before A |date=July 7, 2019 |access-date=October 10, 2019 |archive-date=October 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010022057/https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/yan-gomes-of-the-washington-nationals-stands-in-the-dugout-news-photo/1160609770 |url-status=live }}

After the Expos' departure from Montreal, the National Hockey League′s Montreal Canadiens hung a banner in Bell Centre honoring the Expos' retired numbers.

The Nationals retired Ryan Zimmerman's No. 11 on June 18, 2022, the first number retired by the Nationals.{{cite web |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Mark |title=Nats to retire Zimmerman's No. 11 jersey June 18 |url=https://www.masnsports.com/nationals-pastime/2022/03/nats-to-retire-zimmermans-no-11-jersey-june-18.html |website=MASN |access-date=March 21, 2022 |date=March 21, 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Reddington |first=Patrick |date=June 18, 2022 |title=Ryan Zimmerman Weekend: No. 11 retired in Nationals Park |url=https://www.federalbaseball.com/2022/6/18/23173332/ryan-zimmerman-weekend-no-11-retired-in-nationals-park |access-date=June 18, 2022 |website=Federal Baseball |language=en}}

On August 10, 2010, the Nationals unveiled a "Ring of Honor"The Ring of Honor should not be confused with the Washington Hall of Stars. at Nationals Park to honor National Baseball Hall of Fame members who had played "significant years" for the Washington Nationals, original Washington Senators (1901–1960), expansion Washington Senators (1961–1971), Homestead Grays, or Montreal Expos.{{cite web | url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13270762&fext=.jsp&c_id=was&vkey=pr_was | title=Washington Nationals Pay Tribute to Hall of Famers with Ring of Honor | publisher=Washington Nationals | date=August 10, 2010 | access-date=February 17, 2012 | archive-date=October 18, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018172943/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13270762&fext=.jsp&c_id=was&vkey=pr_was | url-status=dead }}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/08/26/senators-legend-frank-howard-is-humbled-and-thrilled-to-enter-the-nats-ring-of-honor/|title=Senators legend Frank Howard is humbled and thrilled to enter the Nats' Ring of Honor|first=Dan|last=Steinberg|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074423/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/08/26/senators-legend-frank-howard-is-humbled-and-thrilled-to-enter-the-nats-ring-of-honor/|url-status=live}} In late August 2016, the team dropped the criterion that an inductee be a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, also opening membership to "anyone who has made a significant contribution to the game of baseball in Washington, D.C."; the first inductee under the revised criteria was Frank Howard.

The Nationals′ attempt to honor the Montreal-Washington franchise's entire history in the Ring of Honor, as well as by tracking Montreal-Washington franchise records, is not without controversy; it has been criticized as "an embodiment of the team's desire to find history before it can make much."{{cite news|last=Janes|first=Chelsea|title=On Jayson Werth night, former outfielder reminds Nationals of better days|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2018/09/08/on-jayson-werth-night-former-outfielder-reminds-nationals-of-better-days/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 8, 2018|access-date=October 24, 2019|archive-date=March 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317203037/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2018/09/08/on-jayson-werth-night-former-outfielder-reminds-nationals-of-better-days/|url-status=live}} Although Nationals fans generally take little interest in the franchise's Montreal years, some do appreciate acknowledging that the franchise has a history that predates its arrival in Washington, and former Expo Tim Raines received a warm round of applause from fans at Nationals Park at his induction ceremony on August 28, 2017, even though he had never even visited Washington, D.C., before, and the closest baseball he played in the market was one game for Baltimore with his son at the end of 2001.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/08/30/bad-natitude-some-montreal-fans-wish-d-c-would-leave-their-expos-alone/|title=Perspective - Bad Natitude? Some Montreal fans wish D.C. would leave their Expos alone|first=Dan|last=Steinberg|date=August 30, 2017|access-date=September 30, 2017|via=www.WashingtonPost.com|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074522/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/08/30/bad-natitude-some-montreal-fans-wish-d-c-would-leave-their-expos-alone/|url-status=live}} Some Montreal Expos fans express appreciation that the Nationals are honoring the Expos, and Expos players inducted into the Ring of Honor have expressed gratitude that the Nationals chose to include them, especially with no MLB team in Montreal to honor their careers.{{cite web|url=https://www.federalbaseball.com/2015/5/15/8609981/montreal-expos-in-nationals-parks-ring-of-honor-carter-dawson-and-robinson|title=It meant a great deal to Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Frank Robinson that the Nationals recognized them.|website=FederalBaseball.com|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=September 30, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001075019/https://www.federalbaseball.com/2015/5/15/8609981/montreal-expos-in-nationals-parks-ring-of-honor-carter-dawson-and-robinson|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.masnsports.com/byron-kerr/2017/08/rodriguez-and-raines-proud-of-nats-ring-of-honor-induction.html|title=Rodríguez and Raines proud of Nats Ring of Honor induction|first=Byron|last=Kerr|website=MASNSports.com|access-date=September 30, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074449/http://www.masnsports.com/byron-kerr/2017/08/rodriguez-and-raines-proud-of-nats-ring-of-honor-induction.html|url-status=live}} However, few Nationals fans have taken an interest in franchise records, preferring to compare Nationals records with those of previous Washington MLB teams instead, and a segment of Nationals fans actively opposes the inclusion of Expos history into that of the Nationals, taking the view that the Montreal years are irrelevant to Washington and that the team made a complete break with its past and started anew when it arrived in Washington, inheriting the history of the two Washington Senators teams rather than that of the Expos. Similarly, Montreal Expos fans have taken very little or no interest in the achievements of Nationals players, and many Expos fans strongly oppose the inclusion of former Expos in the Ring, taking the position that to do so is to co-opt the history of the Expos, which they say belongs solely in Montreal.

Observers also have noted that the admission of the first Nationals player to the Ring of Honor, Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez, although he was well-liked as a National, highlights another awkward aspect of the Ring of Honor's acceptance criteria, because Rodriguez's inclusion arose out of his admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame based on his exploits for other teams, not out of anything he did during a 155-game, two-season stint with the Nationals at the end of his career in years in which the Nationals posted mediocre records. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo responded that his inclusion had merit even based on his time with the Nationals, when he "taught us how to be a professional franchise."{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/08/24/the-nats-park-ring-of-honor-is-adding-two-new-players-who-combined-to-play-155-games-in-d-c/|title=Nats Park Ring of Honor adding two new players (who combined to play 155 games in D.C.)|first=Scott|last=Allen|date=August 24, 2017|access-date=September 30, 2017|via=www.WashingtonPost.com|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001074654/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2017/08/24/the-nats-park-ring-of-honor-is-adding-two-new-players-who-combined-to-play-155-games-in-d-c/|url-status=live}}

In a ceremony held at Nationals Park between games of a doubleheader on the evening of September 8, 2018, the Nationals inducted former outfielder Jayson Werth, who played for the Nationals from 2011 through 2017, into the Ring of Honor.{{Cite web |url=https://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2018/07/werth-to-be-added-to-nats-ring-of-honor/ |title=Woodfork, Rob, "Werth to be added to Nats Ring of Honor," wtop.com, July 13, 2018, 3:44 a.m. EDT Retrieved August 16, 2018. |date=July 13, 2018 |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713105758/https://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2018/07/werth-to-be-added-to-nats-ring-of-honor/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Werth to be added to Nats Ring of Honor |last=Woodfork |first=Rob |date=July 13, 2018 |url=https://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2018/07/werth-to-be-added-to-nats-ring-of-honor/ |work=WTOP News |access-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-date=July 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713105758/https://wtop.com/washington-nationals/2018/07/werth-to-be-added-to-nats-ring-of-honor/ |url-status=live }} He became the first "true" National – the first person based specifically on his career as a National – inducted into the Ring of Honor.

In honor of the 20th anniversary season of Washington Nationals baseball, the Nationals inducted the 2005 Washington Nationals team as a whole into the Ring of Honor in a pregame ceremony on April 5, 2025. Five members of the 2005 team — Jamey Carroll, Chad Cordero, John Patterson, Brian Schneider, and Ryan Zimmerman — took part in the ceremony.{{cite news|last=Camerato|first=Jessica|title=Nationals 2005 club enters Ring of Honor celebrating 20 years in DC|url=https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/2005-nationals-team-inducted-to-ring-of-honor|website=mlb.com|date=April 5, 2025|access-date=April 6, 2025}}

The Ring of Honor includes:[http://archive.timesleader.com/2007_71/2007_10_21__lsquo_Bucky_rsquo__Harris_field_no_longer_a_dream_-Local.html Anonymous, "'Bucky' Harris field no longer a dream"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705052508/http://archive.timesleader.com/2007_71/2007_10_21__lsquo_Bucky_rsquo__Harris_field_no_longer_a_dream_-Local.html |date=July 5, 2015 }} The Times Leader, October 21, 2007{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2015/05/09/frank-robinson-inducted-into-nationals-ring-of-honor/|title=Frank Robinson inducted into Nationals Ring of Honor|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=July 7, 2017|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001075206/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2015/05/09/frank-robinson-inducted-into-nationals-ring-of-honor/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Castillo|first=Jorge|title=Frank Howard says Bryce Harper 'hasn't even begun to scratch the surface'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2016/08/26/frank-howard-says-bryce-harper-hasnt-even-begun-to-scratch-the-surface/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 26, 2016|access-date=June 16, 2018|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030604/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/nationals-journal/wp/2016/08/26/frank-howard-says-bryce-harper-hasnt-even-begun-to-scratch-the-surface/|url-status=live}}

File:Josh Gibson 1931.jpg, catcher]]

File:Walter Johnson 1924.jpg, starting pitcher]]

File:Sam Rice.jpg, outfielder]]

File:RFK Stadium baseball.JPG]]

Source:{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/attend.shtml|title=Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums, and Park Factors {{pipe}} Baseball-Reference.com|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=July 13, 2018|archive-date=June 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613235126/https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/attend.shtml|url-status=live}}

{{main|Space Coast Stadium|FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches}}

The Nationals hold spring training in Florida, where they play their annual slate of Grapefruit League games. From 2005 through 2016, they held spring training at Space Coast Stadium in Viera, Florida, a facility that they inherited from the Expos. In 2017, the Nationals moved their spring training operations to the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, a new facility they share with the Houston Astros in West Palm Beach, Florida; they played their first Grapefruit League game there on February 28, 2017. On February 16, 2018, it was renamed FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches after the Nationals and Astros signed a 12-year deal for the naming rights to the stadium that day with FITTEAM, an event brand partnership and organic products firm located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/new-first-name-for-ballpark-the-palm-beaches-fitteam/UiJ69bCE9w7M2zK5xhGyaK/ |title=Doris, Tony, "New first name for Ballpark of the Palm Beaches: Fitteam," February 16, 2018, 3:35 p.m. EST. |access-date=February 19, 2018 |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220025352/http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/new-first-name-for-ballpark-the-palm-beaches-fitteam/UiJ69bCE9w7M2zK5xhGyaK/ |url-status=live }} In February 2024, it was renamed CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches after the two teams agreed to a multi-year naming rights deal with American rapper and singer-songwriter Travis Scott's CACTI Hard Seltzer company.{{Cite web |title=Astros, Nationals, Travis Scott Celebrate Rebrand of Spring Training Ballpark to CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches |url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-astros-nationals-travis-scott-celebrate-rebrand-of-spring-training-ballpark-to-cacti-park-of-the-palm-beaches |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

{{Main|List of Washington Nationals minor league affiliates}}

• The Nationals began an affiliation with the Low-A Nationals in 2005; the then-Advanced-A Potomac Nationals moved from Woodbridge, Virginia, to Fredericksburg, Virginia, before the 2020 season, and moved to Low-A play in the 2021 season.

The Nationals Philanthropies, formerly the Nationals Dream Foundation, is the team's charitable arm which is committed to community partnerships that improve the lives of children and families across the Washington Capital Region. The foundation opened a youth baseball academy in partnership with the D.C. government,{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/washington-nationals-to-unveil-youth-baseball-academy-in-southeast-dc/2014/03/26/d21c700a-b4ca-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html|title=Washington Nationals to unveil Youth Baseball Academy in Southeast D.C.|website=washingtonpost.com|access-date=February 12, 2018|archive-date=March 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329121018/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/washington-nationals-to-unveil-youth-baseball-academy-in-southeast-dc/2014/03/26/d21c700a-b4ca-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html|url-status=live}} and a pediatric diabetes care center at Children's National Medical Center in partnership with the Center. The foundation also provides grants to local organizations.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/was/community/foundation/index.jsp|title=Nationals Dream Foundation|work=Washington Nationals|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=October 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061143/http://mlb.mlb.com/was/community/foundation/index.jsp|url-status=live}}

On August 1, 2011, the foundation, in partnership with several local organizations, formally opened Miracle Field in Germantown, Maryland, as part of an effort to encourage athletic activity in children with "mental and/or physical challenges".{{cite web |title=Washington Nationals Join Civic, Community Organizations to Build Miracle Field |website=MLB.com |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/was/community/foundation/index.jsp?mc=miracle_field |access-date=April 2, 2014 |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407081634/http://mlb.mlb.com/was/community/foundation/index.jsp?mc=miracle_field |url-status=live }} According to Steven Miller of MLB.com, what sets Miracle Field apart in terms of safety is its unique design, as it "is made entirely of a cushioned synthetic turf that is five-eighths of an inch thick—providing a safe surface for children in wheelchairs or with other handicaps."{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Steven |title=Nationals unveil Miracle League Field |website=Nationals.com |date=August 1, 2011 |url=http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110801&content_id=22613338&vkey=news_was&c_id=was |access-date=April 2, 2014 |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407075734/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110801&content_id=22613338&vkey=news_was&c_id=was |url-status=dead }}

{{further|Washington Nationals Radio Network}}

File:Washington Nationals - racing Presidents.jpg, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln before a 2019 game against the Milwaukee Brewers. They compete in the Presidents Race every mid-fourth inning of a home game.]]

The Nationals' flagship radio station is WJFK-FM (106.7 FM) "The Fan", which is owned by Entercom. Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are the play-by-play announcers. WJFK fronts a radio network of 19 stations serving portions of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Delaware as well as the District.

Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) televises all games not picked up by one of MLB's national television partners. Bob Carpenter has been the TV play-by-play announcer since 2006 and Kevin Frandsen was hired in January 2022 as color analyst.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/01/20/kevin-frandsen-nationals-broadcasts/|title=Kevin Frandsen added to Nationals TV broadcasts, replacing F.P. Santangelo|work=The Washington Post|access-date=April 5, 2025}} Mel Proctor was the TV play-by-announcer in 2005, and former color analysts are Ron Darling (2005), Tom Paciorek (2006), Don Sutton (2007–2008), and Rob Dibble, who took over the job in 2009 and was fired in September 2010 after criticizing Stephen Strasburg for not pitching while injured. Ray Knight filled in as color analyst in September 2010 after Dibble was fired.{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/print.jsp?ymd=20110106&content_id=16404236&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb|title=Santangelo set to join Nats' TV team|work=Major League Baseball|access-date=October 5, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.aolnews.com/2010/09/01/rob-dibble-fired-by-nationals-in-wake-of-stephen-strasburg-comme/|title=Rob Dibble Fired by Nationals in Wake of Stephen Strasburg Comments|work=AOL.com|access-date=October 5, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917091223/http://www.aolnews.com/2010/09/01/rob-dibble-fired-by-nationals-in-wake-of-stephen-strasburg-comme/|archive-date=September 17, 2011}} F. P. Santangelo then served as the primary color analyst between 2011 and 2021.

The deal assigning the Nationals' television rights to the Orioles-controlled MASN was demanded by former Orioles owner Peter Angelos as compensation for sharing the Baltimore-Washington market with another team; while the Nationals received a rights fee from MASN, they were tied to the channel under the agreement and could not sell their television rights on the open market. This led to significant acrimony between the two teams and eventual legal action over how much in rights fees the Nationals were owed. The Lerners pointed to the agreement as a complication in selling the team, as the impossibility of valuing the rights and the lack of control over them made the team unattractive to potential buyers. The 2024 sale of the Orioles to David Rubenstein led to a softening of relations, and just before the beginning of the 2025 season both teams and MLB announced the litigation had been settled and the agreement dissolved. MASN then signed a new one-year contract for 2025, after which the Nationals can sell their rights to another local broadcaster if they choose.{{cite news |last1=Janes |first1=Chelsea |last2=Strauss |first2=Ben |title=Nationals, Orioles end years-long dispute over broadcast rights |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/03/03/mlb-ends-masn-deal-orioles-nationals/ |work=The Washington Post |date=3 March 2025}}

WWZZ (104.1 FM), which carried games in the 2005 season, was the team's first flagship radio station.{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/02/14/daily32.html|title=Nationals pick radio partner|work=Baltimore Business Journal|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=September 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916062825/http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2005/02/14/daily32.html|url-status=live}}

WFED (1500 AM) had been the flagship station since the 2006 season until a multi-year agreement was reached between the Nationals and WJFK before the 2011 season. WFED remains on the network as an affiliate; its 50 kilowatt clear-channel signal allows the Nationals' home-team call to be heard up and down the East Coast.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401767.html|title=Nats, Post Radio Nearing Deal To Air Games|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=September 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916060612/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/04/AR2006010401767.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/02/28/nats-get-new-radio-partner.html|title=Nationals get new radio partner|date=February 28, 2011|work=Washington Business Journal|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=September 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916072920/http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2011/02/28/nats-get-new-radio-partner.html|url-status=live}}

On television, WDCA (channel 20) carried 76 games in the 2005 season while the newly founded MASN was still negotiating cable carriage.{{cite web|title=WDCA will air 76 Nats games|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/apr/2/20050402-121800-2467r/|work=Washington Times|access-date=April 15, 2018|archive-date=April 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416012850/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/apr/2/20050402-121800-2467r/|url-status=live}} From 2009 through 2017, MASN syndicated a package of 20 games for simulcast on an over-the-air television station in Washington. Broadcast partners under this arrangement were WDCW (channel 50) from 2009 through 2012 and CBS affiliate WUSA (channel 9) from 2013 through 2017.{{cite web|title=Nats on WUSA9 2017 Schedule|url=https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/nats-on-wusa9-2017-schedule/418849914|website=WUSA|date=March 2, 2017 |access-date=February 16, 2018|archive-date=February 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217084055/https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/nats-on-wusa9-2017-schedule/418849914|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=105 Nationals Games In HD On MASN In 2009|url=http://nats320.blogspot.com/2009/02/105-nationals-games-in-hd-on-masn-in.html|website=Nats320|date=February 13, 2009|access-date=February 16, 2018|archive-date=February 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082414/http://nats320.blogspot.com/2009/02/105-nationals-games-in-hd-on-masn-in.html|url-status=live}} MASN did not continue the syndication deal for the 2018 season.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/03/29/nationals-orioles-games-wont-air-regularly-on-local-broadcast-tv/ |title=Bogage, Jacob, "Nationals, Orioles games won't air regularly on local broadcast TV," washingtonpost.com, March 29, 2018. |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 15, 2018 |archive-date=April 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415005547/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2018/03/29/nationals-orioles-games-wont-air-regularly-on-local-broadcast-tv/ |url-status=live }}

In the midst of a season in which they finished with the worst record in Major League Baseball, the Nationals' television ratings were among the worst in the National League in July 2008{{Cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/07/nats_last_in_the_league_last_i.html|title=Nats: Last in the League, Last in TV Ratings|last=Steinberg|first=Dan|date=July 7, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=July 10, 2008|archive-date=March 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324062254/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/07/nats_last_in_the_league_last_i.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.preview&articleid=59453|title=MLB ratings down, but networks look ahead|last=OURAND|first=JOHN|date=July 7, 2008|work=Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal|access-date=July 10, 2008|archive-date=December 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201025913/http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.preview&articleid=59453|url-status=live}} but increased during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060103180.html|title=Nationals' TV Ratings Improve|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518113932/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060103180.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/05/the-ratings-game-ratings-up-for-nationals-orioles/|title=The Ratings Game: Ratings Up For Nationals, Orioles|author=Paulsen|date=May 17, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2014|archive-date=May 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518071515/http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2011/05/the-ratings-game-ratings-up-for-nationals-orioles/|url-status=live}} Since 2012, when they began to achieve consistent success on the field, their television viewership has grown continually and dramatically. By 2016, the Nationals′ prime-time television ratings were 15th highest among the 29 U.S. MLB teams, and they rose to 12th in 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2017/10/10/here-are-the-2017-mlb-prime-time-television-ratings-for-each-team/2/#6b9126a763cc |title=Brown, Maury, "Here Are The 2017 MLB Prime Time Television Ratings For Each Team," forbes.com, October 10, 2017, 7:00 a.m. |website=Forbes |access-date=April 15, 2018 |archive-date=April 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423021937/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2017/10/10/here-are-the-2017-mlb-prime-time-television-ratings-for-each-team/#6b9126a763cc |url-status=live }} Ratings declined to 18th among the 29 U.S. teams for the 2018 season.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Maury |title=2018 MLB Regional TV Ratings In Prime Time Shows Continued Strong Popularity |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2018/10/04/2018-mlb-regional-tv-ratings-in-primetime-shows-continued-strong-popularity/ |access-date=February 11, 2024 |website=Forbes |language=en}}

{{Main|List of Washington Nationals broadcasters}}

• Charlie Slowes – radio (2005–present)
• Dave Shea – radio (2005)
• Dave Jageler – radio (2006–present)
• Mel Proctor – TV (2005)
• Ron Darling – TV (2005)
• Bob Carpenter – TV (2006–present)
• Tom Paciorek – TV (2006)
• Don Sutton – TV (2007–2008)
• Rob Dibble – TV (2009–2010)
• F. P. Santangelo – TV (2011–2021)
• Kevin Frandsen – TV (2022–present)

{{main|Beltway Series}}

The Nationals have an interleague rivalry, nicknamed the Beltway Series, with the nearby Baltimore Orioles. The teams have played two series a season—one in Baltimore and one in Washington—since 2006. The Nationals and Orioles rivalry is one of the few that can be played in a World Series.

{{main|Nationals–Phillies rivalry}}

The Nationals' rivalry with the Philadelphia Phillies originated during their original tenure as the Montreal Expos. The two teams repeatedly battled for control of the division in the early 1980s and mid 1990s. Following the franchise's relocation to Washington, D.C., in 2005, the rivalry increased in geographic tension due to Washington's proximity to Philadelphia. The rivalry quickly spiked in intensity during the 2010s after Nationals team management introduced a campaign to block Phillies fans from overtaking home games. In 2019, star-outfielder Bryce Harper further fueled tensions after signing a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent.{{cite web|url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/bryce-harper-phillies-nationals-home-run-rivalry|title=With one swing, Bryce Harper ignited a beautiful, new rivalry in Phillies - Nationals|date=April 3, 2019 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/bryce-harper-singlehandedly-started-a-nationals-phillies-rivalry|title=Bryce Harper singlehandedly started a huge Phillies-Nationals rivalry in one crazy night|website=MLB.com |date=April 3, 2019 }} The Nationals later won the 2019 World Series during the first year after Harper's departure.{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2019 |title=Bryce Harper mistakenly said he wanted to bring a title to DC in his first Phillies press conference |website=MLB.com |url=https://www.mlb.com/cut4/bryce-harper-wants-to-bring-a-title-to-dc |access-date=June 27, 2021}}

{{Portal|Baseball|Washington, D.C.}}

• Sports in Washington, D.C.

{{Reflist|group=note}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Washington Nationals}}

• {{Official website|https://www.mlb.com/nationals|Washington Nationals official website}}
• [http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/team?statsId=20 FOX Sports – Washington Nationals team front]
• Sandalow, Marc. "[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/6738.html A Brand-New Ballgame: The New Stadium of the Nationals]", Washingtonian, March 1, 2008.

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{{s-ttl|title = National League champions|years = 2019}}

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{{Washington Nationals}}

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