BLOCKBUSTER?: Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams Trade BUZZ— The Case To Trade Or Keep The All-Star

BLOCKBUSTER?: Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams Trade BUZZ— The Case To Trade Or Keep The All-Star

The McKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams trade rumors are flying at the MLB winter meetings, but CJ Abrams has taken the center stage as some people think the Nationals will trade him. [Music] You are Locked on Nationals, your daily Washington Nationals podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. And thank you all for making Locked On Nationals your first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast. And I am your host Ryan Clary and we are part of the Locked on Podcast Network. is your team every single day. And later on in today’s program, we’ve got a discussion because the Nationals have finalized their coaching staff, who’s going to be their hitting coach. I’ll tell you, it’s going to be a hard name to pronounce for the Nationals moving forward. So stay tuned for the show today. And in the second segment, we’ll get into more CJ Abrams stuff, but I also really want to look at McKenzie Gore because I feel as if that right now McKenzie Gore is definitely the more likely candidate to be moved. But also, do not be surprised if CJ Abrams goes with them. So stay tuned as the Nationals and the rumors are just flying right now in Major League Baseball. But I’m going to tell you why that right now I’d be hesitant to trade CJ Abrams. although there is a price tag that could be met. So, we’ll have that discussion for you. But today’s episode is always brought to you by FanDuel. And if you want to be in right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL bets all season long. So, yesterday, Ken Rosenthal got the day started of day one of MLB meal winnings, saying that the Nationals are drawing heavy interest with CJ Abrams and McKenzie Gore. And I think at this point, listen, the CJ Abrams trade market kind of all of a sudden makes sense. If you look around baseball today, like there are two free agent shorts stops that will be primed to get deals. Number one is Bo Bette. And even then, Bo Bashette is a great offensive piece, but a lot of people don’t think that he’s going to stick at shortstop. In fact, some people think that he’ll be signed as like a second baseman andor a third baseman similar to what Xander Bogarts and the San Diego Padres’s did a few years ago over the MLB winter meeting. So, I think that’s going to be something to watch. And then Hosong Kim, while he’s going to be a great defensive shortstop, may not be a team’s long-term answer. So, you then look at the trade market. CJ Abrams is at the forefront of that. I think that with the shortstop market today, with how things are going, CJ Abrams has now put himself to be in a prime position to be at least at the very least in trade talks. And of course, Paul Tabone was asked about this yesterday and Tabone said that it would be negligent to not listen to trade offers on C.J. Abrams and McKenzie Gore. And at this at this point, I actually agree with him. Now, McKenzie Gore we’ll get into more later on, but I do want to talk about CJ Abrams. I’m kind of wrestling with the thoughts of trading CJ Abrams because here’s kind of why I would not trade him. Number one, you’ve got three years left of control on him. I think that is invaluable in itself. I think that the way that CJ Abrams plays and the talent that he possesses, this is something that you simply cannot find every year. You can’t find it in free agency. You really can’t find it in the draft or at least develop him up until they get to the point of CJ Abrams. And I also think that under this new regime, you are going to have development at an all-time high rate here in the nation’s capital. Something that we have not had in years past. So I look at someone like CJ Abrams. Like when I think of a player development team, I want someone who is toolsy, who has power, who can hit for contact, who can run the bases, who does have potential defensively. May not be the best defender out there, but still you kind of see why someone like C.J. Abrams is coveted around the game. I want that guy in the nation’s capital. I want him here in DC, whether it be shortstop, whether it’s second base, or even the outfield. I want this guy here. He is a very talented player that I think his ceiling hasn’t even been touched yet. We saw him the first half each of these past two seasons just completely skyrocket. He was he was an all-star in 2024 and a deserving all-star at that and this year there was a certain case that you could have made him an all-star again for back-toback years. That is something that you simply cannot say happens all that often here in DC. we have not had consistent allstar worthy players. Now, we can also talk about the falloff in the second half, but I’m willing to bet that this regime and this new staff and this just kind of new philosophy in DC will be able to get uh CJ Abrams across that finish line of finally being that consistent everyday player. And I think that if we were to trade him this off season, we would not be able to see that. And then again, you put him in another organization that would allow him to thrive. It’s going to be a team that would be ready to take on someone like Abrams and a team that is ready to win. That makes me think to myself like, man, if I watch him develop over there and let’s say he starts really hitting for power consistently, he’s stealing bases. This is someone who could easily hit 25 home runs while also stealing 40 plus bases at his peak. Those are talents that simply do not come or you cannot really develop. Even CJ Abrams is such a special talent that it’s so hard to trade that guy away, especially with three years left of control. McKenzie Gore is a different story. He’s a Scott Boris client. He’s got two years left. Are we sure the Nationals are going to be competitive in the next two years? I don’t know at this point, but with CJ in three years down the road with the Rock Nation representation, you’ve got to think about that. But also, you also got to think about trading him. And I think that right now with things that we have already mentioned, with kind of a poor shortstop market, with the way that this has kind of gone in free agency, with the way that the trade market has gone as well, his price tag would be very high. And I think that that kind of pulls it back in for me where I’m like, okay. Well, if you are willing to give up a couple of your very good top prospects, then let’s make it happen. Here’s the problem with that, though. I don’t know if a team is going to be willing to do that. Is a team out there willing to gamble on CJ Abrams? No pun intended there. I don’t know. And I don’t really think that the Nationals will get their ultimate worth for what this guy could be. Because if I am Paul Tabone at this point, I am not trading CJ Abrams. I think a lot of teams will be calling on him and I think a lot of teams should be calling on him. He’s very talented. But also, you should not be trading him for the production that he has put up. You should be trading him with the vision that this guy is going to develop. And the vision that we have, we just laid out for you. It’s 25 plus home runs. It could be 40 stolen bases. It could be a better defensive product. And it could be someone that could be at the top of your lineup, a left-handed bat who has proven to be number one, a healthy player who plays nearly every single game. And number two, a productive one who may just need to be held in check at times with some veteran players. you better be trading him for that prospect down the road of what he could be because I think those are two very different price tags. I think some baseball fans may look at Abrams and say, “Well, I’m not willing to trade for someone who has a 740 ops and give up a couple of our top prospects for a bad defensive shortstop.” You’re right. You should not be doing that. But also, there’s some context needed. Number one, Mike Rizzo in this front office and Dave Martinez and his staff, they did not perfect the player development thing. That’s number one. Number two, there has been no veteran to have C.J. Abrams really just kind of have someone take him under his wing. Like, you have not had a veteran presence like a Ryan Zimmerman or a Jason Worth in this clubhouse. You had Nathaniel Low last year, but quite frankly, that was a joke. And no one I mean I’m not going to say take it out of context here, but he just wasn’t the guy to really be that veteran leader. And I think that if Abrams, if you were to get someone in this building that could kind of hold him accountable and if Paul Tabone and this player development system really truly works, then I think it’s something that the Nationals should obviously consider. And if you are willing to move off of CJ Abrams, then you better get the right the right package for him. So at this point with again Ken Rosenthal, the first story that got put out yesterday was CJ Abrams and McKenzie Gore. Both those guys from the Juan Sodto trade, they could be traded and teams are calling about them. I would not be surprised to see either of them traded at this point. There’s a lot of smoke surrounding it. I 100% think McKenzie Gore gets moved in the next few days. CJ Abrams, I’m about a 50% chance that he gets moved. That’s the way that I feel. And think about this for a second. The Juan Sodto trade tree. I saw RM Leighton from Just Baseball put this out the other day, but he was like, “Imagine the trade tree from that Juan Sodto deal, which obviously netted the Nationals, James Wood, Abrams, Gore, Harleen Susanna, Robert Hassel III, and then the Yankees when he was shipped off to New York, he got there was Michael King in the return. I’m forgetting who else was in that deal as well, but Michael King, a great starting pitcher who’s now a free agent who’ll probably generate a pretty big contract. another guy part of that Monsoto trade tree. And then again, if you trade Gore and when you trade Gore, whatever prospects come to the nationals from that. And if you trade Abrams eventually, then what are the prospects that come from that? That Juan Sodto trade literally could have impacts on not just one decade, but a whole another one coming up in 2030. Like, it is that big of a deal. So, that’s kind of something fun to think about. But speaking of McKenzie Gore, the trade market, it’s on fire for him. More than half the league are interested in McKenzie Gore, but I’ve got my eyes set on one team. I want to talk about that one team, but also get in onto just kind of what to expect over these next few days. So, I’ll tell you all of that and more after this. I’m going to tell you about our friends at FanDuel and NFL Sundays move fast in one big play and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place live bets as the action unfolds, every drive, every momentum swing, and every highlight moment. Last night, I took the Eagles to lose against the Chargers. While that game was going on, I saw them with the lead and I was like, Jaylen Herz does not look very good tonight. I took the Chargers on the money line. I also took the under before the game started and both those things hit. It was just awesome to watch the Eagles lose, but also win some money while watching one of my favorite sports with the NFL. So, if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your live NFL bets all season long. FanDuel, the game moves fast and so can you. We’re back here on Locked on Nationals as McKenzie Gore here is they are trade rumors are heating up for McKenzie Gore. So, let’s just jump right into it. And Ken Rosenthal said yesterday in his piece that and this is not really surprising, but he did say that over half the league has been in on McKenzie Gore. Like this just kind of goes to show you that a lot of baseball’s baseball executives kind of look at the numbers. Obviously the front of it you see us a north erra north of four over the past two years like yeah not the best overall numbers but this guy has nasty stuff. And I think it kind of goes to show you that again the Nationals are really just kind of a pig in mud when it comes to this trademark. I do want to discuss this though because I do believe that at this point like Mackenzie Gore is going to get moved. I think we all know that. I think we all know that the league is very interested in him as the reporters are saying and is over half the league that have at least like talked about McKenzie Gore or have kicked the tires on a McKenzie Gore trade. You got to feel good if you’re Paul Tabone moving McKenzie Gore. And I think that right now, the way that this offseason has gone, and even then you can throw CJ Abrams in this conversation, this has been a perfect storm for the Washington Nationals. Like it finally feels as if the dark cloud is now not over Nationals Park. Like there has been a dark cloud over that park since the Nationals traded Juan Sodto. who got back a great return that everybody is excited about and maybe there was some sunshine in there last season, but in 2025 it went really bad and the dark cloud came right back over. But ever since then it’s been 72 and sunny and clear skies since the Nationals have hired Paul Tabone. And right now it’s looking like it’s going to be like 76 on like a nice June day with a 0% humidity rate. That’s the way that it feels like in this off season. It has been playing out perfectly for the Washington Nationals. And number one, Tarco Scooel likely not going to get traded. The shortstop market not really moving. Bo Bashette obviously a great player coming off a couple of injuries here. Probably won’t be a long-term shortstop answer there. And then you’ve got the starting pitching market which is good but not great. McKenzie Gore I think could be great and he comes on a cheap deal over these next two years and oh by the way there’s going to be a lockout in 2027. So owners at this point may be a little bit iffy on giving out long-term contracts and players may want some big long-term contracts and GMs and owners may be not willing to dish out that money at this point. So, there is like a perfect storm brewing when it comes to a McKenzie Gore trade and a CJ Abrams trade. And so, I think it leads to this. The Nationals could be getting a lot more for really what they should be getting for Gore and for Abrams. I said this yesterday, but my eyes are set on the San Francisco Giants when it comes to Mackenzie Gore. And I think this might be a tad unrealistic, but also with all we’ve been saying, it may not be. You could be getting back someone like a Bryce Eldridge in return for McKenzie Gore. Now, it would not just be Gore going over to the Giants. You may have to throw in someone like let’s say a Jacob Young or a Robert Hassel III or one of other your younger prospects who may be blocked may not be that important to this team long term. Maybe it’s a pitching prospect like u I don’t know a Tyler Stewart or whatever it could be a mid-tier pitching prospect. No one like Harleen Susanna or anyone like that. But let’s just say the Nationals do pull off a move like that. You get the first basin of your future who has DC ties. You get hopefully the catcher of your future with Harry Ford. Those are two long-term answers that you are figuring out with two long-term really good, highly touted prospects that the Nationals could be getting in to help this team not just down the road, but on opening day in 2026. This has been going like perfect so far for the Nationals. And I’m not saying like my prediction at this point for Gore, I don’t believe it’s going to be the Giants. And even if it is the Giants, I just don’t know if they’re willing to give up all those guys at this point. But also, there is a path forward for that. You’ve got Raphael Devers playing over at first base and dhing at times. Are you really going to use up one of your top 20 prospects to be a DH? Or would you rather get value back in return? And maybe that value looks like a defensive outfielder or another arm in your system on top of a frontline starter with McKenzie Gore who’s got two years of control who won’t cost you as much money, who may give you the flexibility to go elsewhere in free agency and sign someone else like a Michael King or make another trade. Like that is the kind of thinking that I think the Giants will be doing here. And this could benefit the Nationals. But I also don’t think it’s just the Giants. Again, over half the teams, it sounds like has at least checked in on McKenzie Gore. And my hunch is like I feel as if the Giants will be some real players when it comes to this Gore market. But I also think a team like the Yankees could be in on him. I think it makes a lot of sense. The Yankees are always trying to improve. They’re always trying to make their starting pitching staff better. I just don’t know if they have the prospects to really give up what it’s going to take to get a McKenzie Gore and the way that the market is working right now. I think the McKenzie Gore price tag may be a little higher than I think a lot of us anticipated and certainly myself because I thought that going into this off seasonason I kind of warned everyone saying, “Hey, the Mackenzie Gore trade return may underwhelm you a bit and that should be expected.” But I think right now on December 9th, the way that I’m thinking is might be a really good return that I think a lot of us did not expect. So I could see the Yankees going in on this. But also just going back to the return, this is what matters most. I don’t really care if McKenzie Gore goes to a team even inside the NL East. Maybe not the Mets or the Phillies, but if it’s the Braves, yeah, sign me up for it. But I don’t really think they’ve got the prospects to trade for McKenzie Gore. And even with the Mets, maybe they do, but they’ve got a couple of young really promising pitch pitching prospects with Nolan Mlan, who’s a top 10 prospect, and also Jonah Tong, who I think will be a really good pitching prospect. But I think after seeing the Jos Fra return, it’s got me really thinking that Timone’s pretty good at working these phones. And I think with the Red Sox, while some people may kind of crush what they got in return for Rafie Des, that’s a pretty good return for someone who may be on the decline in his career with Devers. So, he’s a good player. He’s a special player, but still the way that the Nationals are working right now and the way that they are sitting in this trade market, you got to feel good with where you are with McKenzie Gore. So, obviously stay tuned right here to Locked on Nationals. I’ve got you covered on all news with this Nationals organization. And as soon as McKenzie Gore does get moved, we’ll have an emergency podcast right here on Locked on Nationals. Wherever you get your podcast is where you can find us. So, next I do want to talk about this some nonMLB trade or trade deadline non MLB winner meetings news. The Nationals, it appears that they have finalized their coaching staff and they have actually hired a hitting coach. according to Timone and Butra. So, I’ll tell you who that is after this. The World Cup is coming back to North America for the first time since 1994. And with 48 teams for the first time ever, it’s going to be massive. But let’s be honest, getting tickets is usually the hardest part. 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Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms do apply. again. Download the app, make an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. It’s game time. And we are back here on Locked on Nationals as the Washington Nationals. It looks as if that they have finalized their coaching staff at this point. And this is actually from Andrew Golden who caught up with Tabone. And uh he did mention the fact that it sounds as if they have made a couple of hires and we finally know for sure who the hidden coach is. And he said yesterday that the hidden coach is Mark Borchula. This is a really hard name to say. I will say the spelling here for you. B O R G S C H U L T E. And a fun little note there. He was actually supposed to be the hitting coach for the Rochester Red Wings back in 2020 before the COVID season happened. That never happened unfortunately with minor league baseball being canned for that year. But this is someone that has been not inside this organization, but I guess was going to be hired by the Rochester Red Wings back a handful or actually that was back with Fresno, I believe, was aa affiliate, but still obviously knows people within this. Uh Josh, our guy there for the Rochester Red Wings, he was still doing playbyplay, so we all know him and he’s been on this show a handful of times or so. But I do think that this is an interesting hire because he does have a pretty good background as far as hitting instructions go. So Matt Borg Matt, it’s I said Mark, it’s Matt Borg Schula. It’s a really hard name to say, so buckle up on that. but he is actually coming off a year of which he was the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins under Roco Baldelli. A once really wellthought of staff. Obviously, Roco Beli didn’t really have that much control, dealt with a lot of injuries this past year. The Minnesota Twins bottomed out, sold the deadline, and I don’t really think that has to do with anything with Bark Schula and kind of what happened there. But I do believe that the Nationals got someone who number one has experience, has been in a big league clubhouse, which I think is pretty big considering that a lot of these guys the Nationals have hired aren’t like seasoned veteran coaches. Like these are young. And Matt Borshula is also a really young guy as well. So, it’ll be something to watch for sure. But also just to kind of go over this coaching staff right now, you got Blake But is the manager, 33-year-old phenom kid. Michael John’s the bench coach. Tyler Smarslock the field coordinator from the Nationals. And Andrew 8 is the assistant hitting coach. Bobby Wilson the catching coach and run game coordinator. And then also looking at it, Simon Matthews, the Nationals pitching coach. Shawn Doolittle, the assistant pitching coach according to Andrew Golden. Dustin Glant, the assistant pitching bullpen coach. Corey Ray, the first base,outfield/base running coach. Victor Estz, the third baseinfield coach. And Grant Anders, the bullpen coach and development coach, which is that special title that not every Major League Baseball team has, but the Nationals do now have a developmental coach up with their big league staff. So, pretty cool to see their staff finally kind of finalized there. Uh, obviously there’s a lot of room to make some maybe some not some changes. Obviously, these are going to be the final guys here, but maybe some additions down the road. I would not be surprised to see the Nationals hire some more outside the box candidates. And I think as this offseason’s gone on, I think a lot of us have realized that the Nationals and Paul Tabone and Blake Butra, they don’t really care what you or I think. They’re going to stick with what they know best. they’re going to have an outside the box hire or two and that’s the way that they have addressed it. So that’s the final coaching staff. Not the biggest background deep dive here because we are locked on MLB trades at this point. So stay tuned for all of the trade information as the Washington Nationals have taken center stage in the MLB winner meeting. So I will catch you guys on the flip side. Have a good one. Go Nats.

Washington Nationals shake up MLB trade talk as rumors swirl around C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore at the Winter Meetings. Will Washington risk trading their dynamic All-Star shortstop or frontline lefty starter, and what would it mean for the future of the franchise? Ryan Clary explores the soaring value of Abrams in a thin shortstop market and breaks down why Gore’s nasty stuff is attracting interest from more than half the league. Key insights include possible blockbuster trade returns, the impact of player control years, and the evolving Juan Soto trade tree’s influence on the Nationals’ rebuild. Plus, fresh analysis on Washington’s finalized coaching staff, including new Nats hitting coach and new manager Blake Butera, signals a new era for player development in D.C. Will these moves transform the Nationals into contenders or reshape their future prospects for years to come?

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00:00 Trade Market Buzz On Abrams & Gore

06:33 Nationals’ Future Moves Uncertain

09:17 Nationals’ Leadership and Player Moves

10:33 “Juan Soto Trade Tree Impact”

17:12 Nationals’ Strategic Prospect Plans

22:44 Nationals Finalize Coaching Staff

26:16 Nationals’ Bold Moves Continue