The Washington Nationals have been one of the best offenses in baseball to begin this season, and much of that is due to the performances from James Wood and CJ
The Washington Nationals have been one of the best offenses in baseball to begin this season, and much of that is due to the When it comes to Abrams, getting off to this type of start is the best-case scenario for the new regime.
After deciding toover the winter despite rumored trade interest from multiple teams around the league, the Nationals have an asset that has raised his stock even higher based on how he's performed in 2026. For a while, it seemed like Washington was going deal him ahead of this year's trade deadline.
Sending Abrams to a contender would surelyWashington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Everyone knows Abrams is one of the worst defenders in baseball, let alone at shortstop. That's the only reason why the Nationals might not get back a generational haul for a 25-year-old who put up three straight seasons of 18-plus home runs and 30-plus steals before he entered his prime. `, and they believe they are close to unlocking something, according to Nusbaum.
Because of that, the front office might choose to keep him within the organization so they can prove to other teams that Abrams actually can become at least a league average defender.
"Were Abrams to make significant strides at shortstop, the Nats could ask for better prospects in a trade. ... If the Nationals want to trade Abrams over the summer, they may be able to wait until July to see significant improvement. If they choose to wait until the offseason, that would give Abrams even more time to improve," the insider wrote.
With two years remaining before Abrams becomes a free agent, the Nationals don't have to hurry when it comes to making this decision. And as he continues to put together what is on pace to be a career-best season, other factors could come into play that causes Washington to keep their star shortstop through the trade deadline. Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images.
After all, the only real weakness when it comes to his game is his inability to play a good glove at short. So if he was able to change all of that, then Washington would have one of the best offensive players at his position who is no longer a liability in the field. That, of course, would be the best-case scenario.
While the Nationals could use Abrams to bolster their farm system, it's also not a guarantee that any of the prospects they'd get in return would become star players in the majors like Abrams. So holding onto him and trying to work out an extension could be the other option Washington pursues.between Abrams and the Nationals, Nusbaum gave some optimistic insight when he wrote, "there's no reason to believe it's totally latched shut" when referencing if the door to sign an extension is closed or not.
All of this gives Washington something to think about when it comes to potentially holding onto Abrams past the trade deadline. 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
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