The team is still in the midst of a rebuild, as Toboni acknowledged without using that specific term. “I think we have to be honest with ourselves,” he told reporters after the Gore deal (link via Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com). “The truth is – and I don’t think this is a mystery to the fan base, the media or anyone else – we lost 96 games last year. To turn it around in one year and make the playoffs… not to say it can’t be done, but it is a challenge. What we want to do is make sure we build this really strong foundation so that when we start pushing chips in, we can win for an extended period of time.”
That obviously leads to speculation about their other experienced players. Short stop C.J. Abrams has appeared in rumors throughout the offseason. Spencer Nusbaum, Andrew Golden and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post write that the Nationals have shopped Abrams and center fielder Jacob Jong during the winter.
In Abrams’ case, that could simply be a matter of semantics. It’s no secret that Nationals teams have heard about the talented infielder, who has reportedly received interest from the Royals (certainly several other clubs). Whether they start calling or are just seriously considering interest, it doesn’t make a big difference. The asking price remains high as The Washington Post report indicates the Nats may need a stronger return to move Abrams than the return they received for Gore.
This is largely motivated by the club control window. Gore was only eligible for arbitration for two more seasons; Abrams is three years away from free agency. The infielder is also slightly cheaper, as he signed for $4.2 million compared to Gore’s salary of $5.6 million. The additional year of control is the bigger factor, as the Nationals presumably expect to compete by 2028 even if they don’t attempt to compete this year.
[Related: The Best Fits For A CJ Abrams Trade]
In each of the past two seasons, Abrams was a standout hitter at the All-Star Break before retiring in the second half. He performed slightly better than average overall, hitting .252/.315/.433 in over 1,200 plate appearances over the past two years. Abrams has 39 home runs and 62 stolen bases with slightly lower than average strikeouts and walks in that time. He’s an above-average regular with an All-Star ceiling that he has yet to consistently reach.
Abrams returns some of the value with the glove. He is one of the weaker shortstops in the MLB and only on trails Elly Dela Cruz with 39 errors in the past two seasons. They were mostly of the throwing variety, but Statcast didn’t look favorably on his range either. Abrams would project better at second base or possibly center field. He was a full-time shortstop on a Washington team that probably had the worst all-around field defense in the Majors.
Despite the downsides, Abrams should have significant appeal on the trade market. He’s a 25-year-old plus athlete who fits somewhere in the middle of the diamond. He is a former sixth overall pick and top prospect who has stretches where he is an excellent table setter at one of the top two spots in the lineup. The Nats should take a cut from him if he can stay under control for three seasons. Besides Kansas City, there were also teams like the Giants, Red Sox, Mariners and Padres (the club that drafted him and dealt him to Washington in the second half of the 20th century). Juan Soto deal) are speculative adjustments. Those teams could all upgrade at second base, and many of them have been involved in another left-handed trade chip, Brendan Donovan.
Young hasn’t received much attention as a trade candidate this winter. He’s overshadowed by bigger names like Gore and Abrams and certainly wouldn’t see as big of a return. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the Nationals have received interest from teams looking to improve in midfield. Those clubs would follow Young because of his years of affordable control and elite gloves.
The 26-year-old is still in his pre-arbitration seasons and is at least four years away from free agency. He stole 33 bases and probably should have won a Gold Glove in 2024, as he led MLB outfielders with 20 Outs Above Average that season. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t as optimistic, but rated him 12 runs above par. Young posted similarly impressive defensive stats last year, totaling +13 DRS and 14 OAA, despite losing nearly 350 innings of playing time from the previous season. He missed a few weeks between May and June after spraining the AC joint in his left shoulder when he ran into a wall and followed a trail at Camden Yards. Ramón Laureano fly ball.
As excellent as Young is defensively, he won’t produce much on his own field. He is coming off a .231/.296/.287 season and has a career .247/.310/.316 batting line in just over 1,000 plate appearances. Young makes a lot of contact, but puts most of it on the ground and has very little power. The right-handed hitter has fared slightly better against lefties during his career, but he is a below-average offensive player against pitchers of either handedness.
There are some parallels between Young and the top free agent midfielder Harrison Baderbut the latter is coming off a career year at the plate. Teams that don’t want to meet Bader’s asking price could consider Young as a reasonable fallback. The center field market is almost always tight, both in free agency and trade. The Diamondbacks, Guardians, Royals, Phillies, Angels, Tigers, White Sox and Orioles are among the teams that could use a right-hitting center fielder/fourth outfielder. Washington doesn’t have to force a Young trade, but they can trade and play him Dylan Crews in the middle between a corner outfield tandem of James Wood And Daylen Lile.
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