Yankees, Brewers Among Teams Ramping Up Their Pursuit of Nationals Star CJ Abrams
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With under two weeks until the trade deadline, plans are starting to crystalize around the league, and that is no different for the Washington Nationals.
While a brutal stretch of play before Aug. 3 could change things, right now, the Nationals are expected to thread the needle by adding multiple big league pieces while also selling off their best assets to continue their rebuild.
Left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin falls into the latter category. Because Washington and the breakout ace haven't been able to come to an extension, he now vaults to the top of the list when it comes to players who president of baseball operations Paul Toboni might trade. However, despite the fact that it seems like star shortstop CJ Abrams is going to stay put, that's not stopping teams around the league from trying to acquire him.
Yankees, Brewers Showing Interest in CJ Abrams
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), both the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers have their sights set on Abrams, as making an upgrade at shortstop sits towards the top of their deadline wish list.
The insider shared that the Brewers previously "balked" at the high asking price the Nationals had for their All-Star over the winter. But now, Milwaukee is "expected to explore the possibility" of acquiring Abrams before Aug. 3.
As for the Yankees, they've been connected to Abrams since it became clear that he would be available for the right package. And with the Bronx Bombers needing to make a splash, they "also checked in on Abrams" regarding what Toboni's asking price now is for the standout slugger.
It seemingly is going to take a lot of Toboni to pull the trigger on something to move Abrams. He was stout in his position over the winter even after shipping out left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore. And now that his team is in the middle of a playoff push, and Abrams is a catalyst for that, it seems unlikely that he'll be traded barring one of the most lucrative return packages in recent memory being put on the table for Washington to accept.
Defensive Concerns Could Hurt CJ Abrams' Trade Value
The other part of the equation is that teams are concerned about the poor defense from Abrams, as Nusbaum reported, "For both teams, along with any other potential suitors, Abrams' defense stands out as a concern, and could impact how much they are willing to offer."
That, combined with the already-high asking price from the Nationals, makes it seem like there won't be an offer made to Washington that they can't refuse. Of course, things could change the closer it gets to the trade deadline. But despite the fact that contenders are starting to ramp up their pursuit of the star shortstop, it seems like he'll remain in the nation's capital for the rest of the season.
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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