The Washington Nationals got one extension done with Cade Cavalli, and that move has already sharpened the conversation around what comes next. If the club is serious about keeping its young core together, this offseason can’t stop with one deal.
Two names stand out: CJ Abrams and Connelly Early.
Abrams has become the kind of player a franchise can build around. The shortstop, nicknamed “Alien,” has turned into a true cornerstone this season, and his rise has been impossible to miss.
He was one of the central pieces in the Juan Soto trade, and since then he has helped bring back a fan base that had started to drift away. Abrams is now a two-time All-Star and, just recently, became only the third player in Nationals/Expos history to post a 30/30 season.
Even with his future at shortstop in doubt, there’s no question about the value of his bat and speed. If Washington wants to show its fans that this is more than lip service - that the organization is actually prepared to invest in winning again - Abrams is the kind of player they need to lock up now.
Early is a different case, but just as intriguing. The left-hander came over from the Boston Red Sox a couple of weeks before the trade deadline, though Nationals fans haven’t seen him yet because he has been working back from an elbow injury.
Paul Toboni said in a radio interview that Early should make his Nationals debut on September 26. He had debuted late in the 2025 season for Boston and was beginning to settle in this year before the injury interrupted things.
The idea here is familiar. This situation brings to mind the Nationals’ trade for Gio Gonzalez from the Athletics, when a young left-handed starter with years of team control became part of the picture. Less than a month after that deal, Washington signed Gonzalez to a 5-year, $42 million extension that covered the rest of his arbitration years and the first season of free agency.
That’s the kind of framework Early could fit into. It would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Nationals, and it could give them a strong one-two punch at the top of the rotation for years.
There’s one obvious name not included here: James Wood. The reason is simple.
His agent is Scott Boras, and Boras has built a reputation for taking clients all the way to free agency, which makes an extension seem highly unlikely. Daylen Lile would also make sense as a candidate, but his case was already covered recently.
For Washington, the larger point is bigger than any one player. The Cavalli deal was a solid first step, but if the Lerners want fans to believe the organization is truly ready to spend on its homegrown talent, they’ll need to keep going this offseason.
In Other News...
Nationals Depth Pieces Are Forcing Attention In Rochesters Playoff Push
Rochester kept rolling with a 7-3 win over Buffalo, a result that gave the club its second straight victory and its fourth in five games against the Bisons. The Nationals Triple-A affiliate got steady work on the mound from Zak Kent, who allowed one run over four innings, and Joe Glassey, who followed with a scoreless inning to pick up the win. At the plate, Cayden Wallace, Max Romero Jr., and Trey Lipscomb all helped push the offense forward as Rochester continued to play like a team with something real at stake.
The timing matters, too, because every win tightens the picture in the International League playoff race. Rochester is not just padding September numbers here, it is putting pressure on the teams around it while a handful of Nationals depth pieces keep making their case for bigger attention. For a club that has leaned on organizational depth all season, this stretch is exactly the kind of late push that can change how those players are viewed going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Young Core Is Giving Fans A Reason To Watch Again
The Nationals had positioned themselves to finish off a sweep against the Cardinals, and for most of the afternoon the game had the feel of another step forward for a club trying to build around its young core. Washington got solid work from its pitching staff overall, and the kind of competitive effort that Blake Butera and his players have been emphasizing as the season winds down and the organization looks for signs that the long rebuild is taking hold.
What lingered afterward was the frustration of watching a lead slip away late, with the bullpen unable to close the door and turn a promising day into a complete one. Even so, the bigger takeaway for the Nationals has been the same for several weeks now: this roster is playing with more purpose, more energy and a little more reason for fans to stay engaged as the season nears its end. [Read more 🡒]
Nationals Finally Get A Crucial Look At DJ Herz Again
DJ Herz is finally getting the kind of look the Nationals have been waiting for, with the left-hander set to start the series opener against the Tigers on Monday. Washington has spent most of the last year and a half trying to map out what comes next for a pitcher whose arm talent has long made him one of the more interesting pieces in the organization, even as his path has been interrupted by surgery and a long rehab process.
For the Nationals, this start is about more than filling a turn in the rotation. Herzs return gives the club a chance to see where he stands now and whether he can factor into plans for future seasons, a test that has been on hold since his last big league appearance in 2024. The timing makes it a meaningful checkpoint for a team still sorting through how much of its pitching future can be built around arms like his. [Read more 🡒]