Trade rumors will seemingly surround the Washington Nationals all offseason.
That’s because they have plenty of high-end players to ship out of town if they want. And by all accounts, new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni could be viewing his best trade assets as a way to get his version of this rebuild started.
MacKenzie Gore is the most popular name. There’s a good chance he’s not only the best trade piece on this Nationals roster this winter, but that he’s the best across Major League Baseball. Then there’s CJ Abrams and Jose A. Ferrer. One is an established star and one is a rising star who the team likely prefers not to deal right now. But both would also garner a strong return package, which could make them trade candidates this winter.
As for Abrams, it was discussed here how prominent insiders Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN gave the 25-year-old a surprisingly high chance of getting moved this offseason. However, they also floated the idea of a notable position change for Abrams in their latest article, as well.
Could CJ Abrams Move to Center Field?
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The idea of Abrams switching positions is not a new one. He’s been one of the worst, if not the worst, defensive shortstops in baseball since he’s been in the majors. A shift to second has long been discussed as something that will likely come down the line. But McDaniel and Passan believe an even more drastic position shift could happen, as they think a move to the grass could be coming for Abrams in the future.
“If he were to excel defensively in center field while leveling up at the plate, he could still grow into a star, but those are two pretty big ifs,” they wrote.
Abrams’ ability at the plate has hardly been questioned. During his age-23 season, he was named to the All-Star team and finished that year with a .246/.314/.433 slash line, 20 home runs, 65 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and an OPS+ mark that was nine points above the league average of 100. He followed that up this past season with similar marks, suggesting he’s developed offensive consistency.
CJ Abrams makes it a 4-run 2nd inning for the @Nationals 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/ptxMnVc0rM
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2025
But the change to center field is the questionable one. He’s never played that position in the minors and hasn’t played anywhere besides shortstop in the majors. So to think he’s just going to adjust to the grass and be an effective defender at this stage of his career is wishful thinking.
If that change were to happen, though, it likely wouldn’t come in Washington. With so many outfielders already in the mix, the only way Abrams is not playing shortstop for the Nationals is if they move him to second base.
However, that doesn’t mean other teams out there might not view him as a center fielder. And if they trade for him with that intent in mind, then there could be a chance Abrams makes a huge change at this point of his professional career.
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