With Paul Toboni hinting at additional moves ahead of opening day, Bleacher Report projects one signing ahead of opening day and a pre-trade deadline trade
In the immediate aftermath of the MacKenzie Gore trade, president of baseball Paul Toboni has been transparent about the fact that the Washington Nationals are looking to now add to its rotation with a top ace absent among the starters.
“I think there’s a chance we could sign a player here in the next week or two, but we’ll see kind of how the market evolves for these players and we’ll go from there,” Toboni said on 106.7 on Friday.
Bleacher Report projects an answer for Washington with the Nationals listed as the best fit for right handed pitcher Luis Giolito.
Giolito is coming off a two-year stint with the Boston Red Sox, though he missed the 2024 season due to surgery on his right elbow before exercising a $19 million player option in 2025. He's coming off 26 starts where he posted a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA and 121 strikeouts. Giolito also began his baseball career with the Nationals in 2016 where he appeared in six games and started four, finishing with an 0-1 record and 6.75 ERA while tossing 11 strikeouts to 26 hits allowed.
But with a rotation that is now likely anchored by Cade Cavalli, Giolito gives the Nationals a viable option after a report that the Nationals have reached advanced talks in the starting pitching market. Of course, there's added familiarity beyond a possible homecoming given Toboni's departure from the Red Sox organization to join the Nationals this offseason.
Bleacher Report added that "it's hard to imagine the Nationals going that far" if the price range is between $15 to 20 million, though it remains more likely a matter of when, not if, the front office makes a move.
But the signing of Giolito was one of two moves projected by Bleacher Report after also projecting the team to ship shortstop CJ Abrams to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as if they really need any more pieces.
The projection comes days after a report broke that trade talks fizzled between the Nationals and San Francisco Giants about a trade centered around Abrams, while the initial report came exactly one day after MacKenzie Gore was traded, adding fuel to the fire of additional moves that the rebuild is still ongoing.
The outlet also projected that the Dodgers' potential acquisition of Abrams could move Betts to second base, though the bigger question is whether the Nationals ultimately will part ways with one of their youngest and brightest players.
Toboni previously expressed skepticism about offseason trade reports surrounding Abrams, adding "It's not like we are calling other teams and looking to trade CJ."
The Nationals' starting shortstop is coming off his third full season with the club where he posted a career-high .257 across 144 games, adding 19 home runs, 35 doubles and 60 RBIs while posting his second consecutive season with 31 stolen bases.
Abrams is one of the bright spots along the Nationals' roster alongside left fielder James Wood, who continues to draw offseason praise, as the Nationals look to turn the page from their 66-win season in 2025 ahead of year one of the Blake Butera era.