Trade Idea Has Nationals Sending CJ Abrams to Yankees for High-Upside Return
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One thing that new Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni proved this offseason during his first winter in charge is that he's not afraid to make deals that he believes will improve the overall long-term outlook of this franchise.
He shipped out projected closer Jose A. Ferrer to get back star catching prospect Harry Ford to improve that position group. Then, he shipped out high-floor pitching prospect Jake Bennett for high-upside pitching prospect Luis Perales. And finally, he sent MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five top 30 prospects who boosted the profile of the Nationals' farm system.
However, Toboni isn't going to make a trade just for the sake of it. He turned down what was reported as being a strong offer from the San Francisco Giants for CJ Abrams. And after months of rumors surrounding the star shortstop, it appears like he'll be on the roster for Opening Day.
CJ Abrams Gets Sent to New York Yankees in Mock Trade Idea
But because Washington is rebuilding, and because Abrams is one of their best trade chips, the speculation and ideas regarding a potential move won't stop. Ryan Shea of On SI was the latest to come up with a mock trade, and he has the Nationals shipping the 25-year-old to the New York Yankees in exchange for big league shortstop Anthony Volpe and top 10 prospects Spencer Jones and Chase Hampton.
"Receiving Anthony Volpe gives them a controllable MLB-ready infielder who could slot into the lineup immediately, while adding Spencer Jones and Chase Hampton brings two high-ceiling prospects who could become core contributors in the next few seasons. ... Essentially, it trades one high-profile asset for multiple shots at long-term impact, aligning with a strategy focused on sustained contention rather than immediate wins," Shea wrote as his reasoning for why Washington would make this trade.
Does This Return Actually Make Sense for the Nationals?
When it comes to getting this rebuild back on track, Toboni is going to target high-upside young players. There's no doubt he would be getting that with Jones and Hampton, who are ranked sixth and eighth in the Yankees' pipeline, respectively.
Jones, a 24-year-old outfielder who was a first-round pick in 2022, had a ridiculous season in 2025. He bashed 35 total home runs across the Double-A and Triple-A levels while slashing .274/.362/.571 with 23 doubles, a triple and 80 RBIs. The issue with the 6-foot-7 slugger is his strikeout rate, as he was rung up 35% of the time last year and swung and missed 42% of the time.
His ceiling is tantalizing, but having two left-handed slugging outfielders who strike out at a high rate like Jones and James Wood might not be how Toboni wants to build his outfield, especially when that position group is already as crowded as it is.
Similar questions surround the addition of Volpe. He would be an upgrade defensively over Abrams. But his poor offense with a career slash line of .222/.283/.379 and OPS+ of 84 that's 16 points below the league average of 100 makes it hard to envision him becoming the shortstop of Washington's future when Seaver King and Eli Willits could both have higher overall ceilings.
Hampton is an intriguing part of this mock return. After posting a 3.45 ERA across the first 27 starts of his professional career with 161 K's in 125 1/3 innings pitched, he underwent Tommy John surgery in February of 2025 and should return this summer. It's unclear how he's going to look coming off that major procedure. And with so many Nationals arms either returning from their own Tommy John surgeries or trying to work their way back from it, adding another pitcher to the fold who is going through that recovery is risky for the organization even if he flashed high-level stuff early.
Nationals Should Want More in Return for CJ Abrams
I think Washington should seek a greater return than what they are getting back in this mock trade idea. While things might look good on paper, there are clear holes in a package that contains offensively-challenged Volpe, high-strikeout slugging outfielder Jones and another pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery like Hampton.
If the thought is that Abrams is going to be shopped ahead of the trade deadline or even throughout next offseason, then there should be much better offers on the table, especially if the 25-year-old puts together another strong campaign in the midst of his prime.
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