Trading CJ Abrams Could Accelerate the Nationals’ Rebuild 

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Nationals are “getting pushed aggressively” on trading Abrams, as there are many teams around the league that would love to get their hands on the young, talented shortstop.

How We Got Here

Being drafted to an AJ Preller-led team is a double-edged sword. While Preller is known as one of the best talent evaluators in baseball, his aggressive approach to always wanting to position his team to compete keeps the heads of every prospect in their farm system on a swivel.

While this is Major League Baseball (MLB), the careers of minor leaguers in the Padres organization more resemble Not For Long (NFL).

Abrams had a fiery start to his professional career after being immediately assigned to Rookie ball after being drafted. In 32 games at that level, he hit .401/.442/.662 with three home runs, 14 stolen bases, and a 184 wRC+, including a 20-game hit streak, before being promoted to Low-A Fort Wayne for two games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

After missing all of 2020 due to there not being a Minor League season, Abrams stayed hot, showcasing his talent with the Major League team during Spring Training.

That success had him jumping all the way to Double-A to start the year. While he had another stretch of impressive baseball, producing a 112 wRC+ in his 42 games, he suffered a fractured tibia and strained MCL in a collision on the base path that would end his season.

Then came the 2022 season.

Abrams broke camp with the big league team, but as a center fielder for the first time in his career. After struggling in 20 games to start the year, he was given his first crack at Triple-A after being sent down. After rebounding and being called up, Abrams was a Padre until the Soto deal.

There have been a lot of ups and downs for Abrams during his Nationals career, but considering all he’s had to overcome in his six seasons of professional baseball, he still possesses a ton of upside that would make him an intriguing player for any team to bring in.

Why This Is the Right Time to Trade Him

As I mentioned at the onset, the Nationals are still at a point in their rebuild with seemingly no end. The Juan Soto deal was supposed to initiate a quick retool, but it has been anything but.

Since 2022, they have finished higher than fifth place in the division once, losing more than 90 games each of the last four seasons.

The 2026 season will mark the next chapter of Nationals baseball, truly kicking off.

A clean sweep of the coaching staff from the 2025 season was needed and led to the hiring of a new manager, 33-year-old Blake Butera. It wasn’t just the coaching staff. Paul Toboni has been hired are the new President of Baseball Operations and is now in charge of the tough task that is building a winner in Washington.

The Nationals aren’t truly void of talent as a whole. James Wood looks to be an emerging superstar just one full season into his Major League career.

While he has undergone struggles of his own, Dylan Crews still has some promise of being a productive big leaguer. MacKenzie Gore, also a part of the Soto return, continues to show he can be a number one in their rotation so long as he isn’t traded himself.

Then there are players like Daylen Lile, who emerged this past season and looks to be a true staple of this offense for years to come. Aside from that, there isn’t much to be excited about, hence why a trade of CJ Abrams could be necessary.

Rumors have even begun swirling surrounding Abrams’ availability this winter. In an article written by Jeff Passan highlighting 25 of the likeliest players to be on the move, Abrams was mentioned.

While it may not seem like it now, a potential return for Abrams could net the Nationals a few Top-100 Prospects, depending on the organization.

This should not be a trade where they should prioritize quantity over quality. A young, controllable asset like Abrams still holds enough potential for a return that would truly benefit the organization.

Abrams has continued to show signs of positive development at the plate as each season goes on, including tapping into more game power.

His wRC+ across his first three full seasons in Washington have been 91 (2023), 106 (2024), and 107 (2025). He is also a threat to steal 30+ bases each season, as highlighted by the 47 in 2023 and 31 in each of the subsequent seasons.

Though injuries held him out of a lot of games in the minors, that hasn’t been much of an issue in the majors. Aside from a jammed shoulder and back spasms in 2024, he still played in 134 games. That season was sandwiched by 151 (2023) and 144 (2025) games played.

So what’s the issue? Well, he would likely benefit from moving off shortstop.

Future Position Change?

In his four-year Major League career, he has -6 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at the position. Put that alongside his -45 Outs Above Average (OAA), and you can see why a sample size of over 4300 innings at the position should be enough to get him off of shortstop and, possibly, slide him over to be a second baseman going forward.

While moving off of a prime position like shortstop may knock his value, I’d argue that it would make him far more intriguing, and open up more potential landing spots, seeing that the second base position has been considered such a wasteland the past few seasons.

Contract Situation

CJ Abrams is entering his first year of Arbitration heading into the 2026 season, but as a Super-Two player, he comes with four years of team control through arbitration.

At just 25 years old, CJ Abrams should be a focal point in trade talks for almost every team in baseball with a question at second base.

Trade Partners

As I stated, a position change could very well be in the cards for CJ Abrams’ future in the big leagues. The desperate need for an upgrade at the second base position league-wide should leave Paul Toboni with no shortage of suitors to choose from.

Teams like the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, and yes, even the San Diego Padres are all teams that fell short in the playoffs and have a need at second base heading into next season.

If you were to look at other teams with openings at either position up the middle, and missed out on the postseason, the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, and the San Francisco Giants highlight a long list of teams who should be picking up the phone for Abrams.

A “Rip the Band-Aid” Moment

While it would be difficult for Nationals fans to continue to see this organization ship out young talent, this is a trade that could further their rebuild in many ways.

What should be the selling point for ownership would be that this would coincide with the changing of decision makers across the organization.

It would do first-time manager, Blake Butera, a disservice to have him enter the 2026 season still rostering players who may be counting the days until they are also traded away from Washington.

Consider this my official apology to Nationals fans, but just look at your division rivals in Miami. The Marlins have traded away young, talented players like Jazz Chisholm Jr, Jesus Luzardo, and batting champion Luis Arraez while they were still producing at a high level.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the level of trust you need to have in the new Front Office to dig this team out of the hole it is currently in, even if it means trading away CJ Abrams.