Nationals Breakout Star Will Reportedly Draw Serious Trade Interest
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At the midpoint of June, the Washington Nationals are firmly in the race for an NL playoff position.
Tied with the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres for the final Wild Card spot on June 18, the Nationals will have to make some hard decisions ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline if they remain in the mix throughout the summer.
CJ Abrams continues to be the crown jewel when it comes to assets Washington could deal that would generate a monster return. But it's not clear if they are interested in shipping him out of town at this point in time, regardless of if they are in the hunt for the postseason or not. However, that doesn't mean other players won't get traded. And according to Robert Murray of FanSided, someone who could generate interest around the league is center fielder Jacob Young.
Teams Could Offer Nationals Trade Packages for Jacob Young
Over the winter, there were some rumblings that teams inquired about the defensive wizard. But that didn't amount to anything, and he remained with the Nationals to start the 2026 season. Now, following a power surge where Young has hit a career-high eight home runs across 72 games, it wouldn't be a shock to see Washington field offers for the 26-year-old, per Murray.
"He isn't a free agent until 2030, and with teams placing a premium on run prevention, it would hardly be a surprise if Young drew interest once again," the insider wrote.
What the Nationals might decide to do if that happens after holding onto him during the offseason would be interesting to see. The two-time Gold Glove finalist had serious offensive deficiencies coming into this campaign, but the pop he's shown so far this year might cause contenders to pursue him because of his elite defense and improved offense.
It's unclear exactly what type of return Washington could generate at this point. While Young has a career-high in home runs this season, he also is slashing just .235/.285/.394 with an OPS+ that is 10 points below the league average mark of 100. So teams might view him more as a fourth outfielder instead of someone who can man center field every day, which would limit how much they'd offer.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni is not going to shy away from making a trade if he believes the Nationals are getting value in the deal. So if the market for outfielders is hot ahead of the deadline, then there's a chance Young could be on the move.
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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