The Washington Nationals are heading into a pivotal stretch, and CJ Abrams is right in the middle of it.
After taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, Washington sits one game behind the final NL wild card spot. That kind of position puts real pressure on the front office, and it raises the stakes on every move between now and the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The Nationals already made one notable move by sending Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox, which leaves the door open for more selling if the right deal comes along.
Abrams, though, is the name that has everyone watching.
The two-time All-Star is in the middle of a career year and has been a major reason for the Nationals’ push. According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), Washington is not actively shopping Abrams, but the team is prepared to hear teams out.
"The Nationals are not shopping Abrams, according to people briefed on the club's thinking. But they will at least listen to offers, which they anticipate will be more serious than they were over the winter as he tracks toward career highs in, well, just about everything," the insider reported.
That stance leaves plenty of room for speculation, especially with reports that the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees are starting to increase their pursuit. If other contenders decide they want a superstar-level bat, the Nationals are at least willing to take the calls.
Still, listening is not the same thing as moving him. Washington would need a massive return to seriously consider parting with Abrams, and that was already true during the winter.
His recent stretch has only made that harder. Since the All-Star break, he has gone on a tear with seven home runs and 15 RBIs in nine games.
Add in the fact that the Nationals are still in the hunt for a playoff berth, and the odds of an actual trade look slim.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni is not going to pass on a deal just for the sake of keeping Abrams in place, though. Mead’s departure showed that if Washington believes an offer helps the franchise in the long run, it will act on it.
Nusbaum also reported that Washington expects "teams to soon act aggressively in talks about Abrams," which means the phone lines should stay busy as the deadline approaches. For now, the Nationals are not treating the 25-year-old as untouchable. They’re simply leaving themselves room to hear what’s out there.
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For Washington, the backdrop matters because the clubs have already crossed paths this year through the Connelly Early-for-Curtis Mead swap, and the Nationals decision to hire Paul Toboni away from Boston only deepens the connection. In that kind of environment, it is no surprise to see another Nationals shortstop name surface in the discussion, even as the broader market keeps shrinking around Boston and the front office is left weighing whether the next answer comes from outside the organization or from a prospect moving quickly through the system. [Read more 🡒]