Let’s face it: the Nationals have consistently fallen short of expectations since winning the World Series in 2019. From 2020 to 2025, the team has not finished above fourth place, and for a recent World Series champion, such a rapid decline is truly disheartening. The Nationals' consistent struggles have led to the current rebuilding phase, but how long should a rebuild actually take? In my opinion, it shouldn’t take more than six years.
Trading Juan Soto was the right decision at that time. The Nationals offered him the best deal they could, and knowing he wouldn’t re-sign with the team while still having plenty of team control left, they managed to acquire a substantial package in return, including James Wood and CJ Abrams. Both Wood and Abrams have become All-Stars with the Nationals and have been bright spots for the team.
To start 2026, CJ Abrams has played in 16 of the 17 games for the Nationals, and he has been red hot. In 59 at-bats, he has 21 hits, including six home runs, for a .356 batting average. He has also stolen four bases so far, and has been walked six times, showing great plate discipline. His on-base-plus-slugging percentage is 1.121, which is well above league average as it stands right now. If CJ keeps up his average and power, he will surely be an All-Star selection this year in Philadelphia.
However, despite the low expectations for this season, and possibly the next, the Nationals must stop adding to their existing rebuild. The team traded away pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for a huge return of talented prospects. The Nationals must stop recycling their key players for prospects and trading those prospects when they become stars, because that will get the team nowhere and upset fans, who won't buy tickets to Nationals games.
Simply put. they need to extend CJ Abrams if they want a chance to win. Baseball teams should focus on winning, or at least on making an effort to do so. Putting the best team possible on the field will not only help sell more tickets but also generate more revenue, which will hopefully lead to signing better free agents.
With a potential lockout on the horizon and discussions about a salary cap becoming more serious, it’s also important to consider a salary floor. The Nationals can extend CJ Abrams with a higher-value contract, paying him what he’s worth because he will be an asset if they look to make a postseason push. With a salary cap being a real possibility, there must also be a salary floor. The Nats can extend CJ Abrams to a higher-value contract and pay him what he is worth, because CJ will be an asset to the Nationals if they ever want to make a postseason push.
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