What Washington Nationals fans should watch for from Paul Toboni at the Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings start this Sunday, and it could kickstart the Nationals offseason. Every year the most powerful baseball figures meet for a few days in a sunny location (this year it is Orlando) and discuss what is going on in the offseason. This is often where we see some major fireworks and big time deals.

Every year there seems to be a major splash at the Winter Meetings. Last year, it was during the meetings when Juan Soto signed with the Mets. This year we could see names like Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette come off the board, though likely not to the Nats.

However, we could see plenty of Nats action at the meetings. This is the first Winter Meetings for Paul Toboni, at least as the main man in DC. He has a lot of things on his plate entering this next pivotal week. The Nats have yet to sign an MLB free agent, so this could be the chance for him to get on the board. We have discussed names like Willi Castro, Victor Caratini and Emilio Pagan as potential fits.

There is also the matter of the trade market. Yesterday, we got an update on the MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams market from MLB insider Jeff Passan. This next week could be when we see a potential Gore trade. Passan said the Nats have been talking to multiple teams about Gore, though the asking price remains high. However, the Winter Meetings could be the time where we see them pull the trigger.

Another part of the Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 Draft. That comes on Wednesday, the 10th, towards the end of the meetings. Given the state of the Nats roster, it is highly likely that the Nats make a pick. We wrote about a few names they could consider selecting.

For an analytics guy like Toboni, the Rule 5 Draft is a real chance for him to show off. It is a great way to find diamonds in the rough. Executives love nothing more than finding hidden gems. There are a few relievers Toboni is probably looking at closely. Catcher Daniel Susac is also a name to watch.

It has been a quiet offseason for the Nats so far, at least on the player side of things. There has been a continual drip of coaching and front office hires. However, not much has happened on the player acquisition side of things.

I have a feeling that will change either at the Winter Meetings or in the days following the event. At the end of the day, the Nats need to improve their roster. The team went 66-96 last season and the payroll is still very low. At least some money should be available and I am interested to see how Toboni allocates it.

Given the lack of player acquisitions, there are still a lot of unknowns with Toboni. He has talked about building a scouting and player development monster, but what kinds of players is he looking for? We still are not totally sure how he values the players currently on the roster either.

He has talked about how a lot of players on the roster have another gear to reach, but there still needs to be an infusion of talent. This team is not close to good enough, even if you project internal improvement. I am excited to see how Paul Toboni improves this roster externally. The Winter Meetings should give us a better idea of how he wants to go about doing that.