OPINION:
The Washington Nationals were set to begin their post-All-Star Game schedule Friday in Sacramento against the Athletics.
Will we be watching the final games of All-Star shortstop C.J. Abrams in a Nationals uniform?
Washington is entering this portion of the season with a 48-49 record, after spending much of the time in the weeks before that just above .500, which is a place few thought they would be when the season began under the new regime of Paul Toboni, president of baseball operations.
If they can climb back into that neighborhood again and stay in the wild card race, that could dictate the future of Abrams, who enters this stretch with 20 home runs, 67 RBI, 15 stolen bases and a .275 average.
That’s a bat that could help any postseason contender.
But it would be a betrayal to the damaged Washington fan base — and his teammates — to send Abrams out of town and wave the white flag on a season that everyone deserves to see in August and September.
Washington went into the All-Star Game having been swept in three games by the New York Yankees, as hometown fans watched their team blow one lead after another because of a bullpen that accumulated a record amount of airline miles shuttling back and forth to Class AAA Rochester.
The Nationals could possibly fulfill their gloom and doom predictions in the final months of this season. Then the Aug. 3 trading deadline questions become less challenging.
But this Washington team has proved to be resilient so far this year, bouncing back from several seemingly soul-crushing losses to pound their opponent with the most productive offense in baseball.
There is no sense of urgency to trade Abrams now. This winter, he will still have two more seasons under team control until he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2028 season. That’s still an attractive prize for trading partners.
Fueling that move by Washington would likely be Abrams’ 2027 salary in arbitration. He is earning $4.2 million this year, and with a National League All-Star start, Abrams will have enough ammunition to get a big raise, high enough to make the owners, the Lerner family, wince — or possibly recoil in horror, in case anyone has any illusions about Washington locking Abrams up to a long-term contract to stay here.
Unlike James Wood, Abrams doesn’t have the curse of representation by Scott Boras. His agent is Roc Nation, so the opportunity does exist.
Wood, according to USA Today, was on the trading block this winter along with Abrams. But Toboni has publicly denied Wood was ever a candidate to be moved.
Coming off a remarkable first half of the season — 28 home runs, 64 RBI and a league-leading 89 runs scored — it would be unfathomable to move Wood now or even this winter. He won’t be a free agent until the end of the 2030 season, which means he won’t reach that Juan Soto point in his deal — two years left under control, still making him a desirable target and possibly bringing in a big haul — until the end of the 2028 season.
But make no mistake about it, if Boras continues to represent Wood, the agent is going to take his talents to the free agency market, whatever that may look like in the future.
What complicates everything, though, is the looming labor battle between owners and players with their deal expiring Dec. 1. A lockout is expected to follow, as both sides to date have made it clear they are far apart on issues — the biggest one being the salary cap that owners want. Players have made it clear that is a non-starter. The work stoppage will also likely mean no free agency movement until owners have a clear picture of what the salary structure may look like whenever the dust clears.
The Lerners will be in lockstep with their fellow owners about a salary cap, though they might not be so crazy about a salary floor that reportedly would come with the proposal. They are used to operating in the basement.
• You can hear Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
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