Insider Reveals Latest Info on Trade Talks Regarding Nationals Star CJ Abrams
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Trade deadline information is going full bore at the moment, and the Washington Nationals are starting to be featured at the center of it.
Whether it's CJ Abrams, Foster Griffin, Luis Garcia Jr., Jacob Young or even some prospects within their farm system, the Nationals could play a major role in how the deadline shapes up this year. Updates are coming fast and furious from different insiders around the league, and the latest one from Jon Heyman of The New York Post (subscription required) should make this fanbase happy.
That's because the insider has shared that talks regarding the shortstop haven't amounted to anything, with Heyman even saying Abrams appears to be "unavailable."
Nationals Seem Determined to Hold Onto CJ Abrams
"The Astros were called about star SS Jeremy Pena. And word is, they said no. The same is believed to be the case with star Nats SS CJ Abrams. Not available," Heyman reported.
That's a notable update. Previously, it was reported that president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was keeping his phone line open in regards to deals about Abrams. While the first-year executive wasn't necessarily shopping his star shortstop, he was giving teams the opportunity to blow him way with an offer, something some contenders were reportedly gearing up to do.
It should be noted that it's not clear if Washington was presented proposals that teams deemed to be their best offers and that's why they said no, or if the front office just decided that they wanted to hold onto Abrams for the remainder of the season. Regardless of what took place -- keeping in mind that this is just one report in what has been a sea of them -- it's starting to feel like the 25-year-old face of the franchise is going to remain in the nation's capital for the rest of the 2026 campaign.
But until the Aug. 3 trade deadline passes, no one can be sure that Abrams will continue to be part of this roster. The market is lacking impactful offensive players, which is making contenders desperate to bring one in. That could result in a king's ransom being presented to Toboni that makes him change his mind on Abrams' availability.
Regardless, Heyman's report at least paints the picture that there is a good chance that Abrams will continue to wear a Nationals jersey for the rest of the season as they try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai