The Washington Nationals remain open to trading All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams with three years left on his contract. New general manager Paul Toboni has made a point to reset, with the MacKenzie Gore trade serving as the first major domino in a potentially transformative offseason.
Abrams hit .257 with 19 home runs and 31 stolen bases last season, posting a .748 OPS and 111 OPS+. The San Francisco Giants recently attempted to strike a deal, floating five of their top-11 prospects in negotiations. It's unclear if all five were available together, but it is clear that Abrams' trade value is high. So is Washington's price tag, given his two-way upside and the years of team control remaining; if no one bowls Toboni over, he can simply walk away.
Can the Blue Jays strike a deal for CJ Abrams?
The Toronto Blue Jays' offseason began on such a high note. Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Kazuma Okamoto — the Blue Jays were clearly in the mix for free agents across the financial spectrum, all while holding strong as the odds-on favorite to sign star outfielder Kyle Tucker.
But in the end, Tucker declined Toronto's long-term offer in favor of an absurd $60 million annual contract from the Dodgers. Brutal. Furthermore, before Toronto could even really think about potentially pivoting to Bo Bichette, he agreed to a similar short-term framework in Queens, New York.
So the Blue Jays whiffed on the offseason's biggest fish and did not bring back (arguably) their second-best player, one who had been joined at the hip with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for years. It's a real sobering moment, even if the team is still plenty capable of contending in 2026.
But contenders can't afford to lick their wounds, not with the Dodgers around. And while losing out on Tucker and Bichette leaves Toronto one bat short of where they'd like to be, an Abrams deal might just be the answer.
Why the Blue Jays do this deal
Toronto clearly has the appetite to add more talent. Abrams presents a unique opportunity. He's 25, at the front end of his prime, with All-Star pedigree and tons of still-untapped potential. We are at the point where Abrams offers 20 home run-40 stolen base upside in any given year. Even if his growth stagnates and he just is who he currently is, Toronto would benefit a lot from having him under club control for three full seasons — with the financial ammo to hammer out a long-term extension if the marriage is a happy one.
Abrams is not without his faults, of course. The defense is a real problem, and Toronto would almost certainly move him off of shortstop. But that was true of Bichette as well, and the Jays already have in-house flexibility here: He could go to second base, bumping Ernie Clement to the bench. Toronto can get creative and see how Abrams' length and range translates to the outfield. Anthony Santander is anything but a guaranteed contributor at this point; Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger, for all their talent, are not immovable cornerstones of the organization.
In an ideal world, Abrams would probably follow in the footsteps of Oneil Cruz and Javy Báez as shortstops turned centerfielders, but Daulton Varsho complicates that a little bit. Varsho is a Gold Glove-caliber presence in center, so Abrams would likely need to test his mettle in left or right, which are not premium positions.
Even so, it's worth a whirl. Abrams probably starts at second base, with the chance for Guerrero Jr. or Okamoto to move into a DH role come 2027 if George Springer leaves. That would potentially open up third base and allow Clement to reclaim second, or vice versa.
Abrams needs to be smarter in his approach as a hitter — the lefty generates a lot of soft contact on the fringes of the zone and does not work deep enough into counts. Even so, his athleticism is top notch, and Toronto can bank on genuine improvement over the next few years.
Why the Nationals do this deal
Washington has clearly set the bar extremely high on an Abrams trade, and for good reason. While it's smart to get ahead of the curve in this case, the uber-talented shortstop does have three years left before free agency. There is no pressure to trade him immediately, which hands GM Paul Tuboni a nice bit of leverage. If a team wants to add Abrams now, with a full three years left on his deal, they'll need to pry him out of D.C. with force.
That said, the Nats understand that extending Abrams is out of the question. That organization has settled into a maddening pattern of cheapskate behavior since their 2019 World Series victory. And the more control the receiving team gets, the more talent Washington can infuse into its farm system.
Toronto won't touch top prospect Trey Yesavage, who just pitched himself into the history books last October. But the Jays' No. 2 prospect, JoJo Parker, serves as a fine centerpiece. The 19-year-old, Toronto's first-round pick in 2025, remains years away from contributing in MLB. But Washington is embracing a patient timeline under Tuboni, and this is a long-term investment that could pay dividends.
There are questions as to whether or not Parker's glove can stick at shortstop long term, but he's an innately talented hitter with discipline and pop in equal measure. Put him next to Washington's own 2025 first-round pick, Eli Willits, and the Nationals could have their middle infield of the future in developmental lockstep.
Ricky Tiedemann offers more immediate upside for Washington. He missed last season due to Tommy John surgery, but the lefty's fastball is a grade-A weapon and he has generated considerable hype in the Blue Jays organization. There's a chance he is hammering the zone for Washington's big-league club as soon as next season, depending on how quickly he shakes off the rust.
Charles McAdoo probably ends up as more of a first or second baseman than a true hot corner glove in MLB, but he's equipped with significant home run power. If he can clean up his approach and make gains on defense, this has steal potential for Washington. He's more than a throw-in.