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Looking For A Match In A CJ Abrams Trade

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The Nationals are in a new era. Their stalled rebuild led ownership to fire president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez. Paul Toboni is now leading a front office for the first time, while the club brought in a rookie manager in 33-year-old Blake Butera. It's easy to imagine Toboni making a couple significant trades to add a needed influx of talent to the farm system.

"We're in the business right now of just bringing in as much value as we can to the organization," the new baseball operations president said from the GM Meetings (link via Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post). "However that may look, we’ll stay disciplined to that." The most obvious place would be to entertain conversations on left-hander MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams. Gore is down to two years of arbitration control and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $4.7MM salary. Abrams' $5.6MM projection is a little higher, but he has three years of remaining control.

This feels like the opportune time to move Gore. Any team in a short-term contention window could be interested. He's at least a mid-rotation arm with the upside of a #2 starter. The Nationals could hear from two-thirds of the league about his availability.

Whether to trade Abrams is a tougher call. The Nats presumably expect to compete for a playoff spot within three years. There's less injury risk with a position player than there is with a pitcher. The Nationals could view the 25-year-old shortstop as the kind of core piece whom they're more or less unwilling to trade. At the same time, Abrams has been maddeningly inconsistent over the past couple seasons. He's a gifted athlete who is nevertheless prone to defensive miscues. This may just depend on how a Toboni-led front office that didn't acquire Abrams views the player.

Abrams is coming off a .257/.315/.433 line with 19 home runs through 635 plate appearances. He has hit between 18-20 longballs in each of the past three seasons. Abrams has stolen 31 bases in consecutive seasons and ranks sixth in MLB with 109 steals since the start of 2023. He won't walk much, but he puts the ball in play with middle-of-the-road exit velocities. At his best, he looks the part of a top-of-the-order spark plug. He's coming off a second straight season in which he was only at that level for a few months. Abrams was a star-level performer in the first half of each of the past two years, but he slumped after the All-Star Break both times.

He's not much easier to pin down defensively. Abrams certainly has the frame and athleticism of a shortstop. He has been far too mistake-prone, however, with only Elly De La Cruz committing more errors over the past few seasons. Most of them have been related to poor accuracy. Abrams was charged with 18 throwing errors this year, three more than anyone else. He has committed 38 throwing errors over the past three seasons. As one might expect given all the easy misses, Statcast has graded Abrams as by far the sport's worst defensive shortstop in that time.

Other teams could have differing views on Abrams' defensive projection. There are presumably some who feel he's non-viable at shortstop and would only consider him at second base or as a potential center field conversion. Others could feel the throwing issues can be cleaned up with mechanical tweaks. They could also be motivated out of some amount of desperation considering the lack of alternatives. Bo Bichette could command upwards of $200MM and faces his own defensive questions. Only one team can sign Ha-Seong Kim, and he doesn't have anywhere near the same offensive ceiling that Abrams has flashed. There aren't many clear options on the trade front.

If the Nationals were to trade Abrams, which clubs should make the biggest push? Let's split them into a few groups. Teams are listed alphabetically within each tier.

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Nationals Hire Simon Mathews As Pitching Coach

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The Nationals announced that they have hired Simon Mathews as their new pitching coach. He had previously been an assistant pitching coach with the Reds. Russell Dorsey and Jake Mintz of Yahoo Sports reported the news prior to the club announcement. Spencer Nusbaum and Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post report that the Nats are also hiring Bobby Wilson as their major league catching coordinator.

“Simon brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and a wide range of experience to our staff,” said manager Blake Butera in the team’s press release. “He is grounded, has great perspective on pitching and connects incredibly well with players at all levels. He is widely respected throughout the game and the type of coach that makes everyone around him better. Simon is a tireless worker and is uniquely equipped to help our pitchers reach their full potential.”

Mathews, 30, was a pitcher but stalled out in the minors. He pitched in the Angels’ system for three years in his early 20s but never made it to the show. He then worked for companies like Push Performance and Driveline Baseball before getting hired by Cincinnati in 2021. He worked various jobs throughout the minors for the Reds before getting bumped to the big league staff in January of 2025.

This hiring continues the trend of the Nationals going very young in overhauling their franchise. Their ongoing rebuild appeared to stall out, prompting big changes. In July, president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez were both fired. Rizzo was 64 years old at the time and Martinez 60. It was reported last month that pitching coach Jim Hickey, 64 years old, would probably not be returning to the club next year.

The Nats hired Paul Toboni to replace Rizzo, Butera to place Martinez and now Mathews to replace Hickey. Toboni is 35 years old. Butera is 33.  Matthews is 30. Younger doesn’t necessarily mean better but it is perhaps a symbol of the Nats feeling they fell behind the times and need to shake off the cobwebs. Mathews will be taking over a club with a lot of young pitchers who had some prospect hype but haven’t fully delivered yet, including Josiah Gray, Cade Cavalli and others.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

Nationals Hire Rays’ Michael Johns As Bench Coach

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4:02pm: It is now official, as both the Nats and Rays announced Johns’s hiring.

1:57pm: The Nationals are planning to hire Rays first base coach Michael Johns as the bench coach under new manager Blake Butera, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Butera, like Johns, was with the Rays prior to being hired in Washington. He’d been Tampa Bay’s senior director of player development and surely has a strong rapport his new bench coach.

Johns has been in his current position for the past two seasons and has more than two decades in professional baseball as a minor league manager, coach and coordinator. The 50-year-old has spent his entire career to date in the Rays organization and previously managed Tampa Bay’s Triple-A, High-A and Rookie-ball affiliates, totaling nine years as a minor league skipper.

In addition to his lengthy coaching/development background, Johns had a brief career as a player. The former Tulane infielder was selected by the Rockies in the 19th round back in 1997 and spent two seasons in the low levels of Colorado’s system before playing a third year on the independent circuit.

Johns is the first known hire who’ll serve on what’s expected to be a fully revamped coaching staff in 2026. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has previously suggested that big league experience is not a prerequisite but would be a bonus to any candidates’ cases as they look to fill out the staff.

Nationals’ Mike DeBartolo To Serve In Assistant GM Role

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The Nationals parted ways with multiple front office members after bringing in new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, but Mike DeBartolo was reportedly staying in the organization. Toboni revealed DeBartolo’s new position to reporters earlier this week, including Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. DeBartolo will be senior vice president and assistant GM, handling baseball operations.

Washington fired longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo in July. DeBartolo was moved from his senior vice president position to interim general manager following Rizzo’s departure. It was reported that assistant general managers Eddie Longosz and Mark Scialabba would not be back next season, but that DeBartolo would be retained.

Washington hired DeBartolo as an intern in 2012. He worked his way up to an assistant GM position ahead of the 2019 season, which ended with the club winning a championship. DeBartolo was named vice president in 2021. The senior tag was added to his job title ahead of the 2024 season.

DeBartolo may be part of the previous regime, but being in his early 40s, he fits into the youth movement taking place in the organization’s top positions. Toboni is just 35 years old. He tabbed 33-year-old Blake Butera as the club’s next manager. Washington has the youngest front office leader and the youngest manager in the league.

Toboni and DeBartolo are joined in the front office by new additions Justin Horowitz and Devin Pearson. Both hires will be in assistant GM roles. Toboni told reporters that Horowitz will oversee player acquisitions, and Pearson will oversee player development. Horowitz was most recently the Pirates’ director of amateur scouting. Pearson had been Boston’s director of amateur scouting, succeeding Toboni himself in the role beginning in 2023.

 

Photo courtesy Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images. 

Marlins Claim Zach Brzykcy

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The Marlins have claimed right-hander Zach Brzykcy off waivers from the Nationals, per a club announcement. Miami also passed right-hander Christian Roa and infielder Jack Winkler through waivers. Both were assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. Additionally, the Fish reinstated lefties Braxton Garrett and Andrew Nardi and righties Anthony Bender and Max Meyer from the 60-day injured list.

Washington signed the now-26-year-old Brzykcy (pronounced brick-see) as an undrafted free agent following the truncated 2020 amateur draft. He’s seen fairly brief action in each of the past two big league seasons, allowing 32 runs in just 28 2/3 innings of relief.

Brzykcy posted strong minor league numbers in 2022 and 2024 but missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. His 2025 results with Rochester weren’t any better than they were in the majors, but in ’24 he logged 35 1/3 innings with a 2.04 ERA, a 33.1% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate across four levels as he worked his way back from that ligament procedure. Brzykcy still has a minor league option year remaining, and he’ll hope that a change of scenery can get him back to the minor league form he displayed prior to this year’s dismal showing.

Miami claimed Roa, also 26, off waivers from the Reds one year ago. The 2020 second-rounder tossed three scoreless frames in his first taste of MLB action this year and also logged a 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 Triple-A frames. Roa has poor command but solid results in the upper minors and an average fastball clocking in at 96 mph. He doesn’t have the service time or prior outright needed to elect free agency. The Marlins are surely happy to hang onto a power arm with decent results, even if his command is suspect.

Winkler came to the Fish by way of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft’s minor league phase. The former A’s farmhand also made his debut in ’25, collecting four singles in 16 at-bats. He can play all over the diamond and has decent speed but minimal offensive production. Winkler hit just .225/.299/.333 in 281 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year, though he also notched a perfect 25-for-25 record in stolen base attempts.

Garrett missed the 2025 season after undergoing UCL surgery in January. He’ll be back in the rotation mix next year, barring any setbacks, though he might not quite be ready for spring training. Nardi missed the 2025 season due to back injuries and is a non-tender candidate. Bender’s season ended in August due to a stress reaction in his right tibia. Assuming he’s healthy next year, he’ll reprise his role as a key late-inning arm for skipper Clayton McCullough. Meyer, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, underwent season-ending hip surgery in June. It’s the second notable surgery of the promising right-hander’s career. He also missed half the 2022 season and all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery.

Nationals Outright Trey Lipscomb

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The Nationals announced Thursday that infielder Trey Lipscomb went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Washington also reinstated catcher Drew Millas, lefty DJ Herz and righties Trevor Williams and Josiah Gray from the 60-day injured list. The Nats currently have five openings on their 40-man roster.

Lipscomb, 25, was the team’s third-round pick in 2022. He’s seen limited MLB time in each of the past two seasons, struggling to a .206/.272/.237 batting line in 215 turns at the plate. The University of Tennessee product posted roughly average offensive numbers across multiple minor league levels in 2023, but he’s been below-average in Triple-A in each of the past two seasons, logging a combined .261/.320/.392 batting line.

The majority of Lipscomb’s time on the field has been spent at third base, but he’s seen some time at all three other infield spots and in left field. Scouting reports pegged him as a roughly average defender at the hot corner, and he’s indeed posted decent grades there in limited big league work. He lacks the service time or prior outright to reject this assignment to the minors, so he’ll stick in the organization and hope to hit his way back to the majors in 2026.

Millas suffered a broken finger that required surgery late in the season. He should be healthy next spring. Herz and Gray both had UCL surgery in 2024 and figure to be ready next spring as well. Williams underwent an internal brace procedure on his own UCL back in July and will miss most, if not all of the upcoming 2026 season as a result.

Mariners Claim Ryan Loutos From Nationals

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The Mariners claimed reliever Ryan Loutos off waivers from the Nationals, per a team announcement. The move brings Seattle’s 40-man roster count to 38.

Loutos joins the fourth organization of his career. He’s a former undrafted free agent signee of the Cardinals who debuted with St. Louis in 2024. He made three appearances. The Cards designated him for assignment in April and traded him to the Dodgers for cash. Loutos didn’t spend much time in L.A. (though he’ll collect a World Series ring for his brief stop), as he made just two big league appearances. The Dodgers lost him on waivers to the Nats in June.

The 6’5″ righty pitched ten times for the Nationals. He allowed 16 runs (12 earned) with six walks and strikeouts apiece over nine innings. He had a better season in Triple-A, where he combined for 43 2/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball. Loutos recorded a league average 22.8% strikeout rate while walking a little over 10% of opponents in the minors. He averages 95 MPH on his heater and has a slider and changeup.

There’s minimal cost for the Mariners in using an open roster spot to stash Loutos as bullpen depth. There’s no guarantee he’ll stick on the 40-man all offseason. If he does, he can be sent to Triple-A Tacoma without going on waivers. Loutos still has one minor league option remaining.

MLBTR Podcast: Offseason Preview Megapod: Top Trade Candidates

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Jorge Alfaro Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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The Nationals announced today that catcher Jorge Alfaro has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. Alfaro had the option to reject an outright assignment as a player with more than five years of service time. He has now done just that and is free to sign with any club.

The 32-year-old joined the Nationals in early September after opting out of a minor league contract with the Brewers. He had spent the entire year to that point at the Triple-A level, and his time with Washington represented his first big-league action since 2023. In 39 plate appearances across 14 games, Alfaro only batted .256/.256/.308 with a 54 wRC+. He struck out an alarming 35.9% of the time and did not draw a single walk. That came in a small sample size, of course, but they are consistent with Alfaro’s career metrics. Across nine seasons in the majors, he has struck out 34% of the time and posted a walk rate of 4.1% with an 86 wRC+. While catching is generally a weaker offensive position, Alfaro’s output still grades out as below average.

Alfaro’s defense also left a lot to be desired. Although he had an above-average pop time, Statcast rated his framing, throwing, and blocking negatively in 2025 (albeit in just 91 2/3 innings behind the plate). Alfaro has never been much of a blocker, but he did grade out positively for his framing and throwing as recently as 2021 with the Marlins. Defensive metrics are tricky, particularly in small samples, but it looks as though his current output both offensively and defensively limits Alfaro’s ceiling to that of a backup. His numbers at Triple-A this year, including an 88 wRC+ in 326 PA, are not much better.

Alfaro now joins a relatively thin group of free agent catchers, headlined by J.T. Realmuto, Victor Caratini, and Danny Jansen (whose mutual option will be declined). Realmuto will be 35 at the start of the 2026 season and is showing signs of decline, posting a 94 wRC+ and -2 Defensive Runs Saved for the Phillies this year. Caratini was an average hitter for the Astros in 2025 but was valued at -5 DRS despite only catching 49 games. Jansen, who also posted roughly average offense, was a 98th-percentile blocker this year, but well below-average as a framer (ninth percentile). It’s a thin group, and teams are always in need of catching help, so Alfaro figures to latch on somewhere as a depth option — likely on a minor league deal.

Photo by John Jones, Imagn Images

Nationals Hire Blake Butera As Manager

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Just weeks after hiring Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni as their new president of baseball operations — thus making the 35-year-old the youngest front office leader in MLB — the Nationals announced the hiring of 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new manager. Butera had spent the past two seasons as the Rays’ senior director of player development. Like Toboni, he’s the youngest in the sport at his position.

“I’ve always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role,” Toboni said in a press release. “Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level. He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C. We’re so excited to welcome him to the Nationals family.”

Butera, who’s already spent four years as a minor league skipper, will be the youngest manager since Frank Quilici in 1972. It’s been a theme for the former Rays farmhand. After a couple of seasons as an infielder in the low minors, he moved to the coaching side, taking over as skipper of High-A Hudson Valley in 2018. At 25 years old, Butera was the youngest manager in organized baseball that season, per Baseball Reference.

After two seasons with Hudson Valley, Butera became the manager of Single-A Charleston. After winning a league title in 2021, he was named Low-A East Manager of the Year. Tampa Bay promoted Butera to Minor League Assistant Field Coordinator in 2023.

Butera also has coaching experience at the international level. He worked for the Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League from 2019 to 2020. He served as a quality control coach with Leones del Escogido in the Dominican League in 2021. Butera was also a bench coach for Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Washington fired manager Dave Martinez in July. He had been at the helm since 2018. Martinez won a World Series with the team in 2019, but the team had struggled since then. The Nationals had lost 90+ games in four straight seasons heading into 2025. They were 37-53 when Martinez was dismissed.

Bench coach Miguel Cairo took over as interim manager. He was a candidate to take over full-time in 2026, but was removed from consideration earlier this week. Cairo, Brandon Hyde, and Craig Albernaz were the only three candidates known to have interviewed for Washington’s vacancy. Albernaz ended up landing the Baltimore job.

Washington also moved on from longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo during the season. Assistant general manager Mike DeBartolo took over as interim general manager to close the year. The Nationals then hired former Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni as their president of baseball operations in late September.

With Butera now installed in D.C., seven of the offseason’s incredible ten managerial vacancies have been filled. Colorado, San Diego, and Atlanta are still in the market for a new skipper. Minnesota (Derek Shelton), Baltimore (Albernaz), San Francisco (Tony Vitello), Texas (Skip Schumaker), and the Angels (Kurt Suzuki) have all filled the position this offseason.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that the Nationals had chosen Butera and were finalizing a contract.

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