Nationals Star CJ Abrams Given Shockingly Low Odds to Get Traded at Deadline
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Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams will continue to be in the headlines when it comes to a possible trade ahead of the deadline.
The 25-year-old is on his way to a second All-Star appearance, and with two more seasons of club control remaining, just about every team around Major League Baseball would love to get their hands on this elite offensive player.
The Nationals know that, which is why they could use Abrams to further kickstart their rebuild into high gear after it appears like they hit a massive home run with their decision to ship MacKenzie Gore out of town this winter. However, it seems like Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN don't believe Abrams is going to be dealt ahead of this year's trade deadline.
CJ Abrams Given 15% Chance of Being Traded Ahead of Deadline
Passan and McDaniel ranked the top trade deadline candidates for this season, and while Abrams came in at No. 5 on the list, they only gave him a 15% chance of actually being traded.
"... among the limited number of teams looking to fill that position, the exceptional return that president of baseball operations Paul Toboni would seek and the Nationals still firmly in contention right now, it's probably not the time for Abrams to move," they wrote.
That's certainly notable. Abrams has been linked to tons of contending teams in trade ideas, and there reportedly has already been one out there that has checked in on the slugging shortstop. But with Washington firmly in the mix for a playoff spot at this point in time, and with Abrams becoming a leader in the clubhouse, it's starting to seem like president of baseball operations Paul Toboni will hold onto his star for the rest of the 2026 season and see if he can move other pieces to get back prospects for the future.
Four Notable Teams Listed as Fits for CJ Abrams
However, if the Nationals start falling out of the playoff race and the front office does decide to shop Abrams around, then Passan and McDaniel have listed four notable teams as fits: the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Yankees have been connected to Abrams on multiple occasions, so that shouldn't be a surprise. And with Aaron Judge missing an extended period of time with an injury, they could be looking for more firepower to help them a make a deep postseason run.
Similarly, the Braves have also been previously mentioned as a possible destination for Abrams. But they would need to send a monster return package to the Nationals to overcome the in-division tax. As for the Rays and Blue Jays, those are some interesting teams to think about. Both are contenders in their own right who could be looking to upgrade their respective rosters, and they also have strong pipelines with plenty of high-end prospects to trade.
There's still a ways to go before Washington has to make their decision. But it's notable that at least one prominent analyst in Passan believes Abrams has a low chance of getting dealt.
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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