Saturday, July 25, 2026 — nine days until the August 3 Trade Deadline.
Every deadline produces one team that can’t decide what it is. This year it’s the Washington Nationals — hovering around .500, squarely in the National League Wild Card hunt, and simultaneously fielding calls on an All-Star shortstop having the best season of his career.
The Problem With Being Better Than Expected
Washington was not supposed to be here. Paul Toboni took over as president of baseball operations this winter and immediately signaled a long-term build, trading MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers with two years of control remaining for a package of prospects. That is not the move of a club planning to contend in 2026.
Then one of the youngest rosters in baseball started winning games in a division stacked with talent, and Toboni’s first deadline became far more complicated than anyone in the front office anticipated.
As one American League executive put it recently, teams run their own playoff and championship odds and decide from there how aggressive to be — and just because contention wasn’t planned doesn’t mean a club won’t take it seriously. The Nationals now have to decide how many chips to pull out of the future and push into a season nobody forecast.
CJ Abrams Has Never Been Worth More
Abrams is the reason this is such a difficult call. The 25-year-old shortstop entered the weekend with 24 home runs, 16 stolen bases and a .905 OPS that ranks tenth in the majors. He made his second All-Star team this month, in his fifth big league season, and he has been the engine of Washington’s offense all year.
His contract status is what makes him a live trade candidate rather than an untouchable. Abrams is arbitration-eligible for two more seasons after 2026, meaning he reaches free agency after 2028 — sooner than any of the other young players Washington is building around. If the Nationals aren’t going to extend him, the value of those three remaining seasons will never be higher than it is right now.
Toboni has been publicly supportive, saying the club is there to keep challenging Abrams to become the best version of himself and that his ceiling remains extraordinarily high. Public support and private willingness to listen are not mutually exclusive in late July.
Who’s Calling
Boston is the name to watch. Per Bob Nightengale, the Red Sox have their eyes on Abrams as well as the Angels’ Zach Neto — two power-speed shortstops with multiple years of control. The need is obvious: Trevor Story has been limited to 41 games by a sports hernia and has managed a .547 OPS when available.
The distinction between the two targets matters. Neto is controllable through 2029; Abrams through 2028. Neither grades out well defensively at shortstop. But Abrams is the better hitter right now by a comfortable margin, and Boston, sitting in the second AL Wild Card spot after its 15-game winning streak, is clearly willing to spend.
Abrams Isn’t the Only One
Washington has other pieces contenders want, and some of them are far easier decisions:
- Foster Griffin — the clearest sell candidate on the roster. The 30-year-old lefty signed for one year and $5.5 million after three seasons in Japan and turned into an NL All-Star, posting a 2.68 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP over 117 1/3 innings. He’s a pending free agent, and some rival executives consider a trade inevitable. The Nationals are reportedly still weighing whether to deal, extend or simply keep him.
- Luis García Jr. — the 26-year-old second baseman is hitting .284 with 20 home runs and a 136 OPS+, and comes with an extra year of control through 2027. Multiple clubs have inquired, including the Yankees. Washington values him highly but is said to be willing to listen.
The Case for Standing Pat
There’s a coherent argument for doing very little. Trading Abrams while the team is in the race would be a difficult message to send a young clubhouse that has overachieved all season. And the leverage doesn’t vanish on August 3 — the winter market is broader, with more bidders and fewer injury unknowns priced in.
The most likely outcome may be a split decision: move Griffin, the pending free agent who brings nothing back if he walks, and hold the controllable bats until at least November.
Nine days for a first-year executive to decide whether a surprise season is worth interrupting a plan.
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