In the last couple of days, there has been some buzz about a potential CJ Abrams trade. It has not been as loud as the smoke around MacKenzie Gore, but it is out there. Yesterday, MLB Trade Rumors put out a story on finding a match for an Abrams trade, and it got people talking.
With the Nationals likely to reboot their rebuild, it makes sense that Abrams name is out there. At 25 years old, with three years of
team control, he would certainly be an attractive trade piece. However, he is also a valuable piece for the Nats. I think the Nats should be trying to extend him rather than move him.
Unlike Gore, Abrams is not represented by Scott Boras, making an extension more feasible. While Abrams is a flawed player, he is a quality starter with room to grow. The Nationals need to be in the business of keeping quality players around if they can. With Abrams, I think you can keep him around.
However, this trade smoke was not just made up by MLB Trade Rumors. Late last month, Jeff Passan reported that teams have been calling about both Gore and Abrams. While Gore is the more likely of the two to be moved, an Abrams trade is certainly not impossible.
If Paul Toboni truly wants to rebuild the rebuild, it would be something to consider. Abrams is a strange player. He put up over 3 WAR last season, but has some major flaws. Abrams is a bad defensive shortstop, who will probably move off the position at some point. A team trading for him will likely see him as a second baseman or even an outfielder.
Abrams is also a very streaky player. In each of the last two seasons, Abrams has been an All-Star caliber player in the first half before falling off dramatically in the second half. This has been an issue that has plagued a number of Nats players, so I blame a lot of those issues on the coaching staff and the losing culture.
If I were Paul Toboni, I would want to keep Abrams around and try to unlock his potential. Toboni has said on a number of occasions that the Nats young players have another gear to hit. Abrams is one of those guys and I want to see him hit that next gear. If we can see first half CJ for a full season, that is a super exciting player.
Abrams has the talent to be a 25 home run, 40 stolen base guy, while posting an OPS over .800. We have seen him be that guy for long stretches, it is all about consistency. Unlike Gore, there is no reason to rush trading him. With three years of control, his value will not depreciate a whole lot over the next year. There is also not the same injury risk with a position player.
Paul Toboni should be actively talking to Abrams agents though. A 7 or 8 year offer paying him about $125 million would be fair for both sides in my opinion. Abrams can easily grow into that deal with his bat and his speed. It is big money, but not a mega-deal compared to other extensions.
However, we keep seeing reports about Abrams potentially being on the trade market. In an article Yesterday, Spencer Nusbaum of the Washington Post hinted at a potential Abrams move as well. Paul Toboni is not tied to Abrams the same way the old regime was, so it is possible.
I would not trade Abrams though, at least not this offseason. He should be a player that Paul Toboni tries to develop and help hit another gear. However, if the Nats get off to a slow start and Abrams stagnates, it could be time to reassess matters. Abrams has become one of the faces of the team, so losing him would be a gut punch.
It would be understandable though. If he made that move, Paul Toboni would clearly be telling the world that the old rebuild was truly a failure. Trying to make it work with Abrams would be my preference, but after the way 2025 went down, I am open to anything.
