It’s been a landmark offseason for the Nationals, who are ushering in a new era after hiring 35-year-old Paul Toboni as the club’s president of baseball operations. There’s been some considerable moving and shaking throughout the organizational ranks since October, and the club is making an immediate impact upon Thursday’s opening of the 2026 international signing period.
Washington has signed a pair of premier international prospects in outfielders Samil Serrano (No. 26) and Isaias Suarez (No. 40), both of whom hail from the Dominican Republic. After landing the No. 14 prospect last year (Brayan Cortesia, now the club’s No. 24 prospect), the Nats have brought aboard multiple members of the Top 50 for the third time in the past four years.
The organization received $6,679,200 in pool money this year, with both Serrano and Suarez set to land bonuses around $1.9 million, according to sources.
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“It’s going to remain consistent,” Nationals director of international operations Victor Rodriguez said Thursday on a Zoom with local reporters. “I think class after class, it’s going after hitters. It’s a skill to be able to hit. I believe we’re continuing to be very consistent in going after that very important skill when it comes to position players.
“As far as pitchers, it’s the ability to throw strikes and repeat in the zone, and all the physical attributes that allow for upside to the stuff to hopefully generate swing and miss stuff down the road.”
Serrano has managed to stand out as an amateur due to his in-game skills. In an industry full of projectable players, the left-handed hitter has managed to blend his tools with production, honing both while training with Jaime Ramos, a member of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program. Serrano earns positive marks from evaluators both for his off-the-field makeup and feel for hitting on it, with his big hands and 6-foot-2 frame leading many to believe there’s even more power to come.
“The first thing that stands out when you see him is the body type, and it’s a very fluid swing,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a swing that works well to the big part of the field … As we evolved in the evaluations process, we got to see that that sweet swing plays in the game. And looking at the body type and how much room he has to grow into some significant mass, we firmly believe that this guy has the opportunity to hit and grow into some power as well.”
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Competition is often rife at the lower levels for the premium defensive spots (catcher, shortstop, center field), but Serrano should get a look in center as he covers a ton of ground with his long strides. He takes clean and efficient routes to the ball, and should he need to move to a corner, he would provide above-average defense due to his headiness alone.
“He is a very instinctual defender,” Rodriguez said. “He’s not an above-average runner, but he’s a guy that really takes clean routes and can really defend in a premium position.”
Having so many athletes for those vital spots in the field is ultimately a good thing. And Suarez’s best tool is his ability to go get it in center. Multiple evaluators are convinced he’ll be a surefire center fielder as he’s a plus runner with quick-twitch actions whose athleticism and solid arm will earn him a long look.
Hitting from the right side, Suarez has plenty of bat speed and a clean and repeatable swing. He should get to more power in time as he muscles up his 6-foot-2 physique in pro ball.
“This guy is very similar to Samil, except in the fact that this guy's significantly more twitchy, more of a runner,” Rodriguez said, adding, “We believe in the attributes, that there's a ton of upside here.”
The club is also high on Dominican outfielder Angel Ramirez, a switch-hitter who will land a $1 million signing bonus, according to a source. He’s viewed as a high-upside prospect if he can tap into his hit tool with increased frequency since he can run well and cover a ton of ground, whether that be on the dirt or in center field, where many evaluators believe his future lies. Equipped with a lanky frame, Ramirez is a veritable toolshed. Now it’ll be up to the Nats’ player development group to chisel those traits into on-field impact.
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In every international class, there’s always a name or two who could pop a bit with more immediacy than their signing bonus would indicate. This go-round, Juan Duran and Jawel Garcia – both right-handed-hitting outfielders – fit that mold.
Duran has long been able to mash, fitting the power-hitting corner-outfield mold to a tee. It’s not often teenagers crush long fly balls on the international market, but he’s shown a natural gift for getting to his pull-side pop.
Garcia is a bit more of a late bloomer but he has tons of physical projection. He’s similar to Duran in the sense of having a bat-first profile but there’s legitimate pop to all fields, a rare trait for a teenager to display. The remainder of his tools are a work in progress but there’s some helium to his name ahead of his pro debut this summer.
The process for this year’s international signing class was a collaborative one with a smooth transition to a new front office and coaching staff. Rodriguez previously worked in the Red Sox organization with Toboni and assistant general manager Justin Horowitz, and he also worked with general manager Ani Kilambi and manager Blake Butera in the Rays' organization.
“It’s always good to come and see somebody that you've worked with in the past because that learning curve and that trust gets expedited a little bit better,” Rodriguez said. “[It] is really exciting for me to be able to work alongside all these guys again.”
While there’s considerable excitement around Washington’s class, it’ll be hard to top the out-of-the-gate success the 2025 crop had under Rodriguez. Cortesia posted a .317 average and a .440 OBP in his debut year, Marconi German (No. 28) notched a .992 OPS alongside him in the Dominican Summer League and catcher Daniel Hernandez (No. 25) immediately impressed and found his way onto the club’s Top 30 Prospects list.
An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year.
That means players born between Sept. 1, 2008, and Aug. 31, 2009, will be eligible to sign in the current signing period. Players must be registered with Major League Baseball in advance to be eligible to sign.