Nationals Boss Tells CJ Abrams, Jacob Young They Are Not Being Shopped

It sounds like the Washington Nationals aren't shopping their guys after all.

Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Now that MacKenzie Gore is no longer with the the Washington Nationals following his blockbuster trade to the Texas Rangers, the next thing the media and fans have focused on when it comes to this team is a possible deal featuring star shortstop CJ Abrams.

Throughout the offseason, trade rumors have involved Abrams. Some insiders suggested the Nationals were actively looking to ship out the 25-year-old, while others simply stated the interest teams around the league had in the one-time All-Star.

But it wasn't until Washington reportedly turned down an offer from the San Francisco Giants that the rumor mill regarding an Abrams trade started heating up again. And according to a report from The Washington Post (subscription required), president of baseball operations Paul Toboni had been shopping both Abrams and starting center fielder Jacob Young this winter.

Paul Toboni Denies Shopping Around Abrams, Young

CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Toboni was at a public speaking event and denied the notion that he's shopping around both Abrams and Young, though. In fact, he said he told both of them directly that they are not being shopped around the league when it comes to potential trades.

The Washington Post vaguely stated the Nationals have been looking for trade partners "this offseason" when it comes to Abrams and Young. So the report doesn't necessarily give a finite timeline on when that stopped or if it never did.

Still, Toboni was adamant that nothing active is taking place, with him saying, "An article came out that we were 'shopping CJ Abrams and Jacob Young.' I called both of them and said 'this is a load of you-know-what.' They were laughing, but I wanted to be truthful with them. I'm like, 'Hey, we're not shopping you both.'"

Paul Toboni calls BS on the Washington Post article that they were SHOPPING CJ Abrams and Jacob Young. pic.twitter.com/E9K0VGjiua

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) January 31, 2026

That's a pretty firm statement from Toboni about where both Abrams and Young stand when it comes to the trade rumors. However, he did have an interesting quote at the end that does leave the door opening for a possible move featuring one or both of them.

"Having said that," he stated after his previous comments above. "I also don't want to lead you down this path like there is zero percent chance you get traded, because there is."

So all of this basically comes back to this; Toboni is not actively shopping his players and seeking out trades. But if teams around the league call and make an offer, he's going to listen. And if an offer happens to be good enough where Washington has to accept it, then they will.

Whether that materializes into either Abrams or Young getting dealt will be seen. But Toboni seems content to keep both on the roster barring a Godfather offer he can't refuse.