CJ Abrams Trade Rumors: Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers All Circling as Nationals Listen to Offers
The Washington Nationals just opened the door on CJ Abrams. Every contender with a shortstop problem should be running through it.
Word out of D.C. is that the Nationals are willing to listen on their 25-year-old All-Star shortstop, and the Yankees, Red Sox, and Brewers are all lined up to make a pitch. Abrams isn’t a rental. He is controllable through 2027, which turns him from a two-month upgrade into a potential two-year cornerstone.
This is the kind of name that changes the entire deadline.
Washington is rebuilding, whether general manager Mike Rizzo wants to say those words out loud or not. The Nationals aren’t going to catch the Phillies. They aren’t going to catch anybody. When a small-market rebuilder has a 25-year-old All-Star middle infielder who is about to enter his final year of control, the smart play is to cash in while the market is hot. That is exactly what is happening right now.
The Yankees are the team to watch. Anthony Volpe hasn’t hit. Jose Caballero is a role player, not an everyday answer. New York’s shortstop production has been one of the worst in the league, which is a problem when you are trying to catch Toronto and Boston in the AL East. Abrams instantly becomes the best shortstop on the roster and gives Aaron Boone a real leadoff option.
The catch is what it takes to get him. Any Yankees package almost certainly starts with top prospect George Lombard Jr. and probably includes Volpe himself in a swap. Insider Jim Bowden floated exactly that framework, and it feels close to what Washington is going to demand. Brian Cashman doesn’t love moving top prospects. He is going to have to get over that if he actually wants Abrams.
Boston is the sneaky suitor. Trevor Story has been fine, but the Red Sox have a stacked farm system full of young infielders and could easily put together a package that beats New York’s offer. Sliding Story to second and installing Abrams at short would give Alex Cora one of the deeper infields in the American League.
Milwaukee makes less sense on paper because the Brewers already have Willy Adames locked in. But this is the same front office that has never been afraid of the creative move. If they see Abrams as a long-term center fielder or a way to move Adames elsewhere, Matt Arnold will find the angle.
Here is what makes Abrams different from most deadline names. He is 25. He is an All-Star. He runs, he hits, and he is signed through 2027 at cost-controlled rates. Deadline pieces like this almost never come available. When they do, the price tag gets absurd. Washington should ask for the moon and settle for one of the two nearest planets.
The Nationals have not decided anything yet. They are listening, not shopping. That distinction matters because it means the front office needs to be blown away rather than talked into a deal. Any team that thinks they can pry Abrams loose with prospects who haven’t cracked Double-A is wasting their time.
The Yankees have the biggest need and the biggest bat to trade in Volpe. The Red Sox have the farm system. The Brewers have the willingness to think differently.
Somebody is going to blink and pay the price. Bet on New York, because their shortstop hole is turning into a chasm and the calendar reads July 27. Time is running out.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
