Washington Nationals Block Surprising Giants Move for CJ Abrams—What’s Really at Stake?

Just when you think the offseason chatter is winding down, here comes a juicy tidbit that shakes things up once again. Right after I penned some thoughts on CJ Abrams possibly getting traded, word breaks that the Giants went full steam ahead pursuing the Nationals’ shortstop—but hit a wall when talks fizzled out. The timing’s eyebrow-raising, especially with the MacKenzie Gore swap fresh off the press. It begs the question: is there still life left in the Nats making some late-season moves? What’s behind the leak, you might wonder? Andrew Baggarly, the Giants’ beat guy for the Athletic, dropped the bomb, which screams a calculated message from San Francisco. It feels like a little “we gave it a shot” nod to their fans, but with a subtle hint that Washington’s demands were sky-high. Now, here’s the kicker—they were reportedly ready to toss in Josuar Gonzalez, an 18-year-old prospect whose name’s already lighting up top 50 lists. Despite his youth and no stateside experience, Gonzalez shines as a potential five-tool dynamo with a bat that could close in on a .280 average and over 25 homers a year—a tantalizing prospect some compare to Francisco Lindor. Yet, even with the likes of Gonzalez and other top tier prospects being discussed, the Nats stood firm, turning down the offers. Makes you scratch your head, doesn’t it? All signs point toward this saga not being over anytime soon—expect whispers and rumors to keep swirling as we inch closer to the trade deadline. CJ Abrams remains a captivating player, and with Washington’s surplus of young infield talent and timeline to contend, a deal down the line feels plausible—if not inevitable. LEARN MORE

Shortly after I wrote about the potential of a CJ Abrams trade, a report came out that the Giants seriously pursued the Nats shortstop, but were unable to reach a deal. The fact that this leaked out right after the Gore trade is very interesting and makes me wonder about the timing. It also makes me wonder about whether the Nats will make a late offseason deal.

The report came from Andrew Baggarly, the Giants beat reporter for the Athletic. This makes me think the leak came from the Giants side. It is clearly a strategic leak and has me wondering if this deal is dead yet. The piece reads like the Giants are telling their fanbase that we tried, but the Nats asking price was just too much.

The thing that stood out the most to me was the reporting that the Giants were willing to offer Josuar Gonzalez. Despite being 18 and never having appeared in a stateside game, Gonzalez is a top 50 prospect in baseball. In their new top 100, MLB Pipeline ranked him as the 44th best prospect, while Baseball America had him at number 30.

The Giants aggressively pursued shortstop CJ Abrams but couldn’t reach a deal with the Nationals. San Francisco was open to including top prospect Josuar Gonzalez, and discussions also involved Carson Whisenhunt, Jacob Bresnahan, Bo Davidson, and Jhonny Level, per @extrabaggs pic.twitter.com/qEZZguWZlv

— SleeperSFGiants (@SleeperSFGiants) January 23, 2026

Gonzalez was the top player in his IFA class, and had a strong showing in the DSL. He is a potential five tool player, who stands out for his elite defensive ability at shortstop. However, the bat is also very advanced. Pipeline said he has the ceiling of a .280 hitter with 25+ homer pop. If that is the case, he could be the closest thing we have seen to Francisco Lindor.

The biggest drawback to Gonzalez is obviously his age and lack of experience. He has never played above the DSL level, so there is some serious volatility. However, he has a truly massive ceiling. The fact the Giants were open to offering Gonzalez in a deal, and Toboni turned it down says a lot.

The report also stated that prospects Bo Davidson, Jhonny Level, Carson Whisenhunt and Jacob Bresnahan were discussed. These are all prospects with big upside. Davidson and Level are top 100 guys according to Baseball America. This report fired up Giants fans, who seemed stunned at these names all being discussed.

If Josuar, Whis, Bres, Bo, and Level can’t even get you CJ Abrams then I don’t even blame the Giants for not getting anything in the trade market this year.

Then again, that’s probably what they want us to think pic.twitter.com/cNuPwVCVFy

— bryan 🌉 #ComeToCal (@bryarea) January 23, 2026

There is one line that intrigued me though. The report said that even if the Giants offered all five players, it would be unclear if the Nats would have accepted. That feels like spin to me. If Toboni was offered all five, he would be a fool to turn it down.

While the report mentioned plenty of names that were being discussed, there was no leaked offer. If Gonzalez was in the deal, I would imagine the secondary pieces were not very strong. The fact there is no actual deal leaked tells me the Giants are trying to make the price sound higher than it actually was.

However, I do have no doubt that Toboni was asking for a lot. There is less incentive to move Abrams now than there was with Gore. Abrams has three years of team control compared to Gore’s two and is also not represented by infamous super agent Scott Boras.

Toboni also seems excited to get his hands on Abrams from a development standpoint. On 106.7, he talked about how Abrams is one of the most athletic players in the league, but has not fully been able to translate that athleticism to production. While Abrams has been a quality player the last few years, Toboni sees more upside.

Is CJ Abrams on the trade block? Nats President of baseball operations Paul Toboni speaks on that here after trading away MacKenzie Gore. pic.twitter.com/oicB6uCO0s

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) January 23, 2026

That upside could lead to Abrams being a long term piece, or it could lead to enhanced trade value. If Abrams has a hot start to the season, he would be a very hot commodity at the Trade Deadline. Another thing Abrams could do to boost his stock is prove that he is a true shortstop. I think Toboni was mostly referring to Abrams’ defense when he was talking about his athleticism not translating into production.

The Nats shortstop has all of the twitch and movement skills to be a quality shortstop, but has not put it together yet. Toboni seems like he is on a mission to change that. Right now, most teams looking to trade for Abrams see him as more of a second baseman. The Giants certainly see it that way, with Willy Adames firmly entrenched at shortstop.

All of this leads me to believe a deal is more likely to happen at the deadline, but this leak raised my eyebrows. This could be interpreted as the Giants saying we are done with this or a challenge to Toboni to come back to the table. Either way, the Giants let this get out for a reason.

Over the next few months, I have a feeling that we will be talking about CJ Abrams trade rumors some more. He is a very exciting player, but given the Nats timeline and their glut of young infield talent, a trade seems like a possibility.