Insider Shares Notable Update on CJ Abrams' Future With the Nationals

The Washington Nationals are starting to lock up players who they believe will be centerpieces of their core moving forward as they push to get back into championship contention once again.

It started with Cade Cavalli. The breakout ace inked an extension during the 2026 season. Then, Jacob Young signed a four-year extension, which will keep the elite defensive center fielder in the nation's capital for years to come.

However, while those moves are nice -- especially the Cavalli one -- there is still some uncertainty on what will happen with the likes of CJ Abrams and James Wood, the team's two best offensive players who were major reasons why this team was one of the best offensive units in baseball during the 2026 season.

Well, insider Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic shed some light on the Abrams situation based on what he's hearing at the general managers' meetings, and the update was a positive one.

Nationals Reportedly Want to Hold Onto CJ Abrams

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"As it just so happens, the Nationals are in a spot where they want to hold onto him. At least, that's what I'm hearing in my conversations with people around the league," Nusbaum said in a video. "... in my understanding, the Nationals do want to compete next year. ... they do think that the upside of having CJ on the roster, keeping him on the roster, gives them a shot to make the Wild Card."

That is a notable update, and there is plenty to unpack from that statement.

For one, there's no doubt that keeping Abrams on the team gives Washington the best chance to win in 2027. After all, he just had a 30-30 season with 100-plus RBIs. And while he did cool off in the second half of the year once again, the Silver Slugger finalist proved that he is one of the game's best offensive players, let alone best offensive shortstops. So not having him on the roster would be a detriment when it comes to competing next year, even if the Nationals were to get back a king's ransom in return for any trade that featured the rising superstar.

Nusbaum does mention that things could change if a "Godfather" offer comes from another team. But, right now, Washington is not actively looking to trade Abrams, which is different than this time last year when the Nationals were listening to offers.

Will Nationals Sign CJ Abrams to an Extension?

Naturally, one of the next questions people are going to have in regards to the Abrams situation is if the Nationals are going to lock him into an extension.

Nusbaum didn't share any information on that, but my guess would be that keeping him for the 2027 season doesn't necessarily mean that either party is ready to enter into a long-term commitment. While I do think Washington would love to get him secured with a team-friendly deal, I don't think they want to give him top-of-the-market shortstop money since that doesn't appear to be his permanent position based on his defensive struggles.

My guess would be that the Nationals want to see how Abrams performs next year. They have already come out and said that he'll have an opportunity to remain as the starting shortstop, which was a 180-degree turn compared to what the plan was this past season when they announced he was moving over to second base. Abrams and his camp were clearly against that decision, and now they need to prove over the offseason that he can be a competent-level defender at the most important defensive position in the infield.

If not, a tough decision needs to be made by both Washington and Abrams and his camp when it comes to his future. But that's something for a later date.

In the meantime, it sounds like the Nationals are planning to hold onto their star infielder for next year, which is a great sign for the future of this organization when it comes to pushing themselves out of their current rebuilding state.

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