Why Nationals should resist Yankees' tempting trade offer for CJ Abrams

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When it comes to trade negotiations for shortstop CJ Abrams before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, Washington Nationals general manager Ani Kilambi should turn off his cell phone and cease all communications with his peers.

Look at what the Nationals have: the potential for a history-making offensive lineup fueled by Abrams and left fielder James Wood. The duo has matured together as major leaguers, connecting on a combined 136 home runs since 2024, entering Monday.

The power Abrams and Wood have displayed should intrigue Kilambi enough to keep them together. Here is a look at the home runs Abrams and Wood have hit over the past three seasons:

Abrams

2026: 27 homers
2025: 19
2024: 20

Wood

2026: 30
2025: 31
2024: 9

Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden said "there's zero chance" the Nationals will trade Wood, but could be "overwhelmed" and move on from Abrams.

Would the New York Yankees' potential offer of shortstop Anthony Volpe and top minor-league prospect George Lombard Jr. overwhelm Kilambi?

It shouldn't.

Nationals' CJ Abrams playing like franchise cornerstone

The Nationals' offense is becoming the envy of both leagues. They entered Monday with a No. 1 ranking in home runs (156), runs scored (584), RBI (555) and stolen bases (116). They rank second in hits (929) and fourth in batting average (.255).

Wood continues to develop into one of the game's top-of-the-order power hitters, connecting on 10 leadoff homers.

With the Nationals (54-52) scheduled to host a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Abrams, a two-time All-Star, paced the high-scoring lineup with a .297 batting average, 82 RBI and 114 hits.

During Sunday's 10-7 win over the Arizona Diamondacks at Nationals Stadium, Abrams and Wood each slugged two homers as the Nationals reached double-digits in scoring for a MLB-best 15th time.

Why would Kilambi break up the duo?

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Volpe, in his fourth season with the Yankees, still carries a cornerstone label, despite his defensive struggles. In his first two full seasons, he posted a 3.2 WAR in 2023 and 3.4 in '24. He was 1.7 last season and 1.2 through 50 games in '26. Considering Volpe had 55 career errors compared to 53 home runs, some insiders have soured on his long-term productivity.

Lombard could be the true prize. The son of a former big leaguer and coach, the 2023 first-round draft pick was hitting .264 in 50 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Still, Kilambi should keep his phone muted when it comes to taking calls about Abrams.