Every year at the onset of the MLB Offseason, ESPN's Jeff Passan, one of the best writers and reporters in all of sports, not just baseball, puts out his annual 'MLB Offseason Preview,' where he runs through a bunch of different topics and usually has at least one nugget about every single team in the big leagues. While he put this out almost 2 weeks ago, it slightly flew under the radar here at District on Deck, so I decided to pounce on it now before the Hot Stove gets too heated.
For someone like Passan, who is about as well-connected as anyone in the sport with teams and front offices around the league, it is almost like his chance to show off his connections and the leaks and tidbits he gets that he is permitted to share, but they often turn out to be pretty credible. Don't believe me? He already had one thought validated after the Texas Rangers acquired Brandon Nimmo from the New York Mets, who Passan claimed could be had this offseason.
So what did he have to say about our Washington Nationals? For fans who are sick of a seemingly eternal rebuild, you might not want to continue reading, but it could make things very interesting if this were to materialize.
There wasn't a ton of information about the Nationals, as you would expect from a bottom-feeder club, but he did drop this bombshell, saying, "Teams are gauging the cost to acquire Washington shortstop CJ Abrams. It's not quite Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers in 2021, but a Gore/Abrams package would be tough to beat." Wow.
I will say that based on everything I've heard, read, and listened to since Paul Toboni took over as the team's new leading man, I would not be surprised if Gore is traded, to which Passan seems to agree. On Gore, here's what he had to say: "Executives anticipate Gore will be dealt. This is where the specter of an extended lockout is muddying the market. Gore has two years until free agency. Teams will want to price the uncertainty into any potential deal, and that could force new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni to wait until the trade deadline."
This was part of the reason why I pounded the table both on social media and in some of my pieces around the deadline this past August for the Nationals to move Gore, as it had become pretty obvious that as a Scott Boras client, an extension was not going to get done, and his value likely never would have been higher. Interim GM Mike DeBartolo did not get an offer he deemed to be good enough to pull the trigger, and only time will tell if that was the right call.
Of course, Gore would go on to have a paltry second half filled with ineffectiveness and injuries, and was ultimately shut down before the season ended with his overall statline finishing much higher than anyone would have guessed at the All-Star break. Abrams is another domino that could shake things up in a major way, but I don't think he will be dealt at this time.
While moving Abrams to second base might be the best play for him long-term, I could also see Toboni giving him a chance to stick at shortstop until someone like Seaver King is ready to come up to the big leagues, perhaps allowing Abrams to become a Ketel Marte-like presence at the keystone with his offensive prowess.
The bottom line is, if what Passan is hearing is correct, there is a very good chance Gore gets dealt, but don't think that fellow All-Star CJ Abrams is not untouchable as well. This offseason is going to be a very pivotal one for the club, and every move Toboni makes, good or bad, will be scrutinized as to how it helps the future of the organization one way or another.
What do you think of Jeff Passan's Nationals speculation? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.