After trading MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers last week, the Nationals may be inclined to move away from some of their established players and create a new core. A question for the new front office though is whether the team should trade CJ Abrams.
Even though it would prolong the team’s rebuild, it makes sense for the Nationals to trade their shortstop.
Abrams has three seasons of team control left. The Nationals need to assess whether they will be able to field a competitive team in the next three years. Most likely, Washington will begin to compete for a playoff spot in two to three seasons. The Nationals would have three seasons of productive Abrams, but it would not amount to anything. Instead, the Nationals should trade Abrams while his value is highest and acquire prospects that could help the team when they are ready to compete.
Abrams also may not be an ideal fit on future Nationals teams. He is a subpar defender who the team should move to second base. The Nationals should prioritize athletic and dynamic players who play defense well. Abrams would not make sense with that philosophy.
However, by trading Abrams, the team would be extending what has already been a very long rebuild. When the team acquired Gore, Abrams, and Wood for Juan Soto, they hoped that those players would help build a playoff caliber team in D.C. Trading away these players signifies that this first rebuild attempt failed. This core of players could not deliver a championship.
At a certain point, big market teams like the Nationals need to supplement their existing cores with free agents and trades. The Nationals never did that with this group of players. Still, even if the Nationals added talent to this group, at this point, they would not be a playoff team.
The team needs to cut their losses. The Nationals need to realize that their first attempt at a rebuild was a failure. It is time for the Nationals to try again and form a new core.
For Nationals fans, this is disappointing. The team will continue to struggle to make the playoffs for the next few seasons, and players that they have grown to root for will be on other teams. However, if the team wants to eventually make the playoffs, this is the path that makes the most sense. Trading Mackenzie Gore was the first step, and trading Abrams will be the next one.