So far this offseason, the new President of Baseball Operations for the Washington Nationals in Paul Toboni has already done a ton to change the outlook of the organization for the future. While the timeline was reset on the team's window to contention, there is zero doubt it was the right decision for the future.
While we will wait and see how well Toboni's new hires on the coaching side of things fare at all levels of the organization, the player personnel side of things has also seen some significant change. All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore was traded to the Texas Rangers, and he became the first part of the return from the infamous Juan Soto deal back in 2022 to be sent packing by the Nationals.
He was the known trade commodity after rumors and negotiations began to swirl around the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, and the Nationals ultimately held off on trading Gore at that time. They made the choice to deal him and received a great haul of prospects back from the Rangers, and Toboni's mission to restock the farm system with quality talent got a big boost with the deal.
However, another piece of that 2022 Soto trade return has found himself in trade rumors throughout this offseason. That piece is a fellow All-Star out of the 3 pieces from the return who have been dubbed that honor, and comes in the form of CJ Abrams. For Nationals fans who had been adamant that they did not want to see him dealt, it looks like there is some good news around the league that should help keep him put.
After it leaked that the Nationals and San Francisco Giants had engaged in trade discussions at some point this offseason, it appears as if the Giants went in another direction. They ended up signing multi-time batting champion Luis Arraez to a 1-year deal to play second base for them, which is where Abrams would have ended up.
Arraez is a defensive liability and singles hitter primarily, but it appears the Nationals' asking price on Abrams was too much for them to make something happen. Just 2 days later, another popular landing spot for Abrams was taken off the board when the Seattle Mariners went out and acquired All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan in a 3-team deal.
Donovan will likely slot in at either second or third base for Seattle, and just like that, 2 of the teams that had deep enough farm systems for Abrams are currently no longer in the market. Other teams could still call up Toboni and make him an offer he simply can't refuse, but with Abrams still possibly having time to prove himself as a long-term piece within the organization, it appears as if he will end up staying in DC...for now.
Do you want the Nationals to hold on to CJ Abrams? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.