Nationals Will 'Listen to Offers' for Their Superstar CJ Abrams
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The Washington Nationals are getting set for another huge matchup to get this week started.
Over the weekend, the Nationals answered the call by taking two out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks to put themselves one game back from the final NL wild card spot. That has only increased the pressure on the front office to buy win-now pieces to aid their postseason push. However, with Curtis Mead getting shipped off to the Boston Red Sox, other selling moves could be coming for this franchise since they are looking to thread the needle.
Will that include CJ Abrams? That's what this fanbase wants to know, especially now that he's in the midst of a career-year where he is playing a huge role in this team's resurgence.
CJ Abrams Not Being Shopped, But Nationals Still Listening to Offers
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), Washington is not explicitly shopping the two-time All-Star around the league. However, that doesn't mean they aren't going to listen to offers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
"The Nationals are not shopping Abrams, according to people briefed on the club's thinking. But they will at least listen to offers, which they anticipate will be more serious than they were over the winter as he tracks toward career highs in, well, just about everything," the insider reported.
It was previously shared that the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees are beginning to ramp up their pursuit of Abrams. And with other contenders around the league potentially interested in adding a superstar-caliber offensive player to their roster, too, it would be malpractice for the Nationals to not at least listen to some offers that could be made for Abrams.
But like Nusbaum stated, listening doesn't mean shopping. It's going to take a whole lot for a team to pry Abrams away from Washington, as was shown this past winter. And that's especially true with the tear he's been on coming out of the All-Star break with a ridiculous seven home runs and 15 RBIs across nine games. Add in the fact that this group is right in the mix of things when it comes to securing a playoff berth, and the odds seem slim that Abrams will actually get dealt.
Teams Expected to Start Sending Offers to Nationals 'Soon'
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni is not going to shy away from doing what he feels is in the best interest for the franchise, though. And as was seen with Mead, if he gets an offer that he believes will help the Nationals in the long run, he's not afraid to accept it.
With that in mind, fans should be glued to anything regarding Abrams at this point of the calendar. Nusbaum added that Washington expects "teams to soon act aggressively in talks about Abrams," which should mean they'll have plenty of offers to mull over before deciding if they are actually willing to trade away the 25-year-old fan favorite or not.
While the odds of the Nationals receiving a proposal that makes them ship out Abrams seem slim, it can't be discounted. Especially because they are at least willing to listen to offers instead of saying he's untouchable.
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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