Teams 'Expected to Keep Calling' Nationals About Availability of Their Star
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This should be a busy offseason for the Washington Nationals.
With some notable, expensive contracts coming off the books, the ownership group is expected to loosen up the checkbook a bit so president of baseball operations Paul Toboni can field a more competitive roster ahead of the 2027 campaign.
Signing established pitchers should be priority No. 1 for the front office. Adding a viable rotation arm and multiple relievers has to be at the top of their to-do list this winter. That will allow this group to build upon the momentum they generated this year, especially because they could have been in the wild card hunt if they hadn't blown so many leads. However, there is another major move that could be made, and it involves their star CJ Abrams.
Teams Will Pursue CJ Abrams Again This Winter
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, "teams are expected to keep calling about Abrams."
There was interest last offseason, too, but the Nationals decided to hold onto him despite at least one strong offer being placed on the table. Naturally, Washington had a high asking price, which probably caused some teams to balk last winter. After all, while there's no doubt that Abrams is talented, he is also one of the worst defenders in the sport and finished the 2025 campaign with a .217/.266/.368 slash line in the second half of the year to go along with just seven home runs, 23 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs across 62 games.
But in 2026, Abrams took a massive leap forward at the plate, as the All-Star Game starter put up career-highs in home runs (33), RBIs (106), OPS (.834), total hits (151) and OPS+ (124). That should cause more teams to be interested in the 26-year-old, especially because he's under club control through the 2028 season.
As expected, Washington has "set a very high asking price" when it comes to Abrams, as was reported by Murray. That shouldn't be a surprise, but if a team does decide to meet it, then Toboni and the organization will have a massive decision to make.
Murray added "there is skepticism" that Abrams will be traded this offseason, but there is a lot of time for things to change before Opening Day arrives in 2027 that could result in Abrams being moved. Until that happens, though, it's best to assume that Abrams is a piece who the Nationals will build around, even if that means he has to eventually move over to second base.
Still, after last winter was filled with rumors about a possible Abrams trade, it sounds like fans should brace themselves for a similar one this offseason.
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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