The trade deadline chatter is starting to heat up, and Sunday brought a few names that could shape the market over the next week. One of the biggest is in Washington, where the Nationals are at least willing to hear teams out on CJ Abrams. Elsewhere, the Padres may have a tough call to make on Michael King, while Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers is dealing with an injury that could wipe out the rest of his 2026 season.
Langeliers, an All-Star and one of the more intriguing names in trade speculation, landed on the injured list Sunday after ESPN reported he could miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his right knee. The injury happened Saturday while he was running the bases, but he stayed in the game and finished all nine innings. He is now deciding whether surgery is the next step.
The timing makes any trade talk around him far messier. Langeliers is 28 and controlled by the A’s through 2028, which is exactly why his name has come up as a possible trade chip for a club trying to shore up a thin pitching staff.
But even though players can be dealt while on the injured list, a team is unlikely to pay full price for a catcher who may not play again this season. If Langeliers moves at all, the more realistic path may be in the offseason.
In Washington, Abrams is not officially on the block, but he is available for the right conversation. According to The Athletic, the Nationals will listen to offers for the 25-year-old shortstop, who is in the middle of a breakout season and under team control through 2028. That kind of profile tends to draw serious attention, and the report says the Yankees have already checked in while the Brewers are expected to do the same.
For New York, the fit is obvious. The Yankees are getting very little production from the José Caballero / Anthony Volpe combination at shortstop, and Abrams would be a clear upgrade. Milwaukee’s situation is different, but just as logical: the Brewers have a deep collection of young middle infielders, including Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Cooper Pratt, and Jett Williams, yet Abrams would add the kind of over-the-fence pop that plays for a team trying to win right now.
Then there’s San Diego, where the Padres are only three games out of a wild-card spot but could still consider moving Michael King, according to USA Today. King’s contract includes a $28 million player option for 2027 and a $30 million player option for 2028, and the expectation is that he will either decline that option and test free agency this offseason or use it as leverage in extension talks.
That makes him a complicated trade piece, but not an unappealing one. King is the kind of starter contenders are always hunting for, and he also has bullpen experience, which gives him extra value as a possible multi-inning high-leverage reliever.
Still, if San Diego deals him, the price will be built around his value as a starter. The Padres also badly need pitching depth, so moving King for multiple young arms would be one way to attack that problem.
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