Is It Time for Nationals to Move on From CJ Abrams at Shortstop?

At some point the Washington Nationals could move on from CJ Abrams as their shortstop, but is that time now?

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Everything is on the table when it comes to how the Washington Nationals are going to be constructed going forward after a new front office regime was brought in.

With Paul Toboni taking over as the team's president of baseball operations, evaluations of the players currently on their big league roster and in their pipeline could bring different conclusions from how the previous front office viewed things.

Something that really needs to be analyzed is this team's defense, as they finished minus-33 in outs above average and had a minus-50 fielding run value that put them second to last in both of those metrics.

The struggles of Luis Garcia Jr. in the field this past season were well documented, but despite the improvements CJ Abrams made compared to his disastrous 2024 campaign, he was a defensive liability at shortstop once again.

Should Nationals Move on From CJ Abrams at Shortstop?

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The most concerning thing about Abrams at shortstop is that he's no longer inexperienced. Not only is he 25 years old, but he also has logged over 4,300 major league innings at that position. That should have been enough to see improvement where he could at least become an average defender. However, that has not been the case.

For his career, Abrams is worth minus-45 in outs above average and he has a fielding run value of minus-37. He also has been worth minus-six in defensive runs saved, all while committing 74 errors.

Because of that, it's hard to imagine he's ever going to become a net positive for Washington at the most important defensive spot on the infield. And that's why Jack McGuire of District on Deck thinks it's time for the Nationals to make the hard decision and change Abrams' position.

"Abrams, though, should not be the Nationals’ shortstop of the future. Abrams is a well-below-average defender, and the Nationals are doing their pitchers a disservice by having him start at the position every day. By shifting the infielder to a less crucial position, the team can dramatically improve their run prevention and improve the development of players across their roster," he wrote.

Who Could Be Internal Options for Nationals at Shortstop?

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Since it's unclear if the Nationals are going to be aggressive when it comes to adding outside players to this roster, the first place to look for potential Abrams replacements at shortstop is internally. And frankly, there aren't a whole lot of short-term options.

Nasim Nunez stands out as the clear No. 1 alternative. He's a solid defender and would raise the defensive profile for Washington at that position. However, his bat is still a work in progress and might present some major issues if he can't hit consistently.

Long term is where Washington has more choices, but Seaver King, Eli Willits and the other top 30 prospects in this pipeline who can play that spot are years away from reaching The Show.

Because of that, it's hard to easily come up with a way to move Abrams out of shortstop to second base. So unless Nunez is able to flash with the bat in his hands this upcoming spring, then another year of Abrams at short is most likely.