The Washington Nationals have been stuck in a rebuild for the last five seasons, losing 91-plus games each year. It appears history could repeat itself in 2026, as following the MacKenzie Gore trade, several other key players on the Nationals roster are popping up in MLB trade rumors.

According to Chelsea Janes, Andrew Golden and Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post, Washington has shopped infielder C.J. Abrams and outfielder Jacob Young throughout the winter.

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Regarding Young, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the 26-year-old center fielder is a ‘popular trade target’ among clubs seeking to upgrade at the position. With Washington willing to move him, there’s at least a possibility that he’s dealt before Opening Day.

A trade of Abrams is less likely. Based on reporting by the Washington Post, the Nationals seem to want a stronger return for the young infielder than what they acquired from the Texas Rangers for Gore. MLB executives who spoke to the Athletic were not particularly high on the Washington return, a five-for-one deal that did not include any consensus top 100 MLB prospects for 2026.

Abrams, age 25, is arbitration-eligible through the 2028 season. In 2025, he posted a .257/.315/.433 triple-slash line with a career-best .748 OPS across 635 plate appearances. In each of the past three seasons, he’s hit at least 19 home runs, six triples and recorded 60-plus RBI with 30-plus steals.

Young is arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2027. While he produced a .231/.296/.287 line this past season with a .583 OPS and was tied for a league-high 11 times caught stealing, he ranked in the 97th percentile for the Fielding Run Value of Baseball Savant (15) with 94th percentile sprint speed and 98th percentile outs above average (14).

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Trading Young would open up a spot in the Nationals lineup for Robert Hassell, allowing the club to move forward with the outfield trio of Hassell, Dylan Crews, and Daylen Lile. Considering the asking price for Abrams and the lack of MLB-ready options to step in at shortstop, it is possible he sticks around into the season.

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