The Washington Nationals are coming off a very successful 2026 season that saw a plethora of players either establish themselves as consistent big leaguers or take that rare leap into becoming superstars. If they want to continue building off of that success, they will need to make some difficult roster decisions heading into next season.
CJ Abrams & James Wood
The Washington Nationals offseason has only recently begun and it’s already being dominated by the contract situations of CJ Abrams and James Wood. The Nats have shown they are willing to lock up core players like ace pitcher Cade Cavalli and outfielder Jacob Young but, I do not see that happening this offseason with Abrams or Wood.
Beginning with CJ Abrams, the talk has been if the Nationals are not able to extend him would they trade him this offseason. I find that to be less and less likely due to the fact that I believe there will be a lockout beginning December 1st. With Abrams not becoming a free agent until after the 2028 season, President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni has a little bit of time and doesn't need to be rushed into making such a rash decision.
For the case of extending Abrams, I believe the Nats have to get that done this offseason. If Abrams puts together another season next year like he did this year his price will go through the ceiling. Depending on where the Nationals are at in standings come the 2027 trade deadline, CJ Abrams could be the hottest commodity on the market.
For James Wood I am going to keep this short and sweet. We all know his agent is Scott Boras and that he takes his clients into free agency. I have zero reason to believe that it wouldn't be any different with Wood. Now in saying that there are zero reasons that the Nationals should move on from their superstar right fielder.
When it comes to roster building, I actually believe the Nats will move Wood to DH this upcoming season as they recently moved on from José Tena. The last two seasons Wood has struggled in the second half. Of course he was injured this past season, but it seems like he has tired out following the All-Star break in both seasons. Moving Wood to DH would help get him off of his feet and allow him to focus only on hitting.
Dylan Crews’ Roster Spot
Up until last Friday it seemed pretty cut and dry that Dylan Crews would enter next season with a spot on the opening day roster. While I still believe at the moment he will make the roster, his playing time looks to have significantly decreased.
The number two overall pick in the 2024 Draft has struggled to hit at the big-league level having been sent down a couple of times early into his career. Next season was already looking like a make-or-break kind of year for Crews but with the Nationals recently committing 4 years, $23 million to Jacob Young it definitely says that the organization’s patience is waning quickly.
Also, with outfielder Andrew Pinckney competing for that fourth outfield spot next spring training and the potential of the Nats adding outfield depth during free agency it’s looking more and more likely that Crews’ time could be up.
Above I did mention that I believe James Wood will become the DH next season. That does open up right field and that could be how the Nationals find a way to give Crews every day at bats next season.
Elijah Green's trajectory
Lastly, I want to highlight a former top draft pick who hasn’t lived up to the expectations of where he was selected.
When the Washington Nationals used the fifth pick of the 2022 Draft on outfielder Elijah Green there were high hopes that he could become a dynamic athlete in the outfield for years to come. He already had the size, speed, power, and glove. The one question was could he make enough contact at the plate.
Unfortunately, he just hasn’t. Over five seasons in pro ball Green has hit to the tune of a .217 batting average and struck out 718 times. This past season he finally made it to Double-A where he only slashed .170/.286/.310 over the course of 29 games. Overall, between High A+ and Double-A this past season Green struck out 214 times in 119 games.
The current regime in DC did not draft Elijah Green. They have no connection to him and them giving up on him would not lead to any negative reactions towards them. Green does have age on his side as he is only 22 but he needs to figure out his swing fast if he does not want to become one of the bigger busts in current memory.
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