Nats fall to Red Sox 11-2 on July 4, 2025, as Michael Soroka struggles. Amid the loss, see why the future is bright with prospects like James Wood & Dylan Crews.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Another tough night at Nationals Park. A lopsided score on the board. If you watched Friday's 11-2 shellacking at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, you witnessed the harsh reality of the 2025 season. But this season was never just about the final score. It's about navigating the growing pains of a rebuild, a process that became crystal clear as the Nats' struggling present collided head-on with glimpses of a much brighter future.
The team's season has been described as 'both disheartening and predictable,' and Friday's game was a perfect microcosm of that reality.
The game itself was a tough watch. Offseason acquisition Michael Soroka was hit hard, surrendering eight runs in five innings as the Red Sox, powered by a four-hit night from Trevor Story, ran away with it. The Nats' offense was mostly silent, mustering just two runs. Soroka's performance is unfortunately part of a larger, troubling trend. The key veterans brought in to stabilize the roster—Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell, and Paul DeJong—have largely underperformed, leaving the team mired in fourth place in the NL East, exactly where most analysts predicted they'd be.
But look closer, and you'll see the real story. Sharing the outfield are James Wood and the recently promoted Dylan Crews. Robert Hassell III and Daylen Lile have made their debuts. In fact, one of Washington's only runs came late, when top prospect Brady House—expected to be called up any day now—was driven in by a Lile double. This is the payoff for years of patience. While the veterans struggle, the core of the next great Nationals team is assembling right before our eyes, providing the only real sparks of excitement on nights like these.
This influx of talent creates a fascinating dilemma as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. The front office needs Major League-ready pitching, a fact brutally highlighted by Friday's loss. To get it, they may have to part with some of that coveted prospect depth. While top arm Travis Sykora, who continues to dominate at Double-A, is reportedly untouchable, names like Yohandy Morales and this year's first-round pick are being floated in trade talks. It's the classic rebuilder's choice: cash in some future assets to help the big-league club now, or stay the course and trust the process completely?
The next few weeks will be telling. The losses may continue to pile up, but the real measure of success for the 2025 Nationals won't be in the standings. It will be in the development of Crews, Wood, and House, and in the shrewd moves the front office might make before the July 31 trade deadline. Friday was a loss, but it was also a perfect snapshot of the franchise's crossroads: a painful present that is slowly, but surely, giving way to a future worth waiting for.
