Will CJ Abrams Switch Positions for Washington Nationals in 2027?

The Washington Nationals enter the offseason with several questions to answer. Some can't be answered by the organization alone given the ongoing negotiations surrounding the new collective bargaining agreement, but president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and manager Blake Butera do have a handful of notable in-house decision to make.

One of those is the future of CJ Abrams, who found himself at the center of trade rumors dating back to last offseason all way into the trade deadline. Abrams is also coming off a career season after notching multiple career bests offensively, ranked inside the top five across MLB in RBIs in addition to tied for 12th with 33 home runs en route to his first 30/30 season. That fueled speculation about Abrams becoming next in line for an extension after Cade Cavalli, but the questions for Abrams sat defensively, a big reason why the door was officially opened during the second half of the season for a position change.

After owning the worst fielding run value among all MLB shortstops through the first half of the season, Abrams closed the season with better numbers, though still leaves room for uncertainty ahead of 2027. With Nasim Nunez sporadically appearing at shortstop in his place, Abrams made 14 appearances at second base in 2026, though whether he returns to shortstop or makes a permanent move to second base is a question to answer.

Abrams initially expressed content with the position change before news trickled out that he preferred staying at shortstop, a saga that led to a dip in his offensive production over the final six weeks. Yet Butera pointed to the Nationals staying patient with Abrams, instead evaluating what Abrams "looks like in Spring Training" before evaluating a permanent decision.

Part of the equation in finalizing Abrams' position is the expected MLB arrival in 2027 of infielder Seaver King, ranked the Nationals' third-best prospect across the farm system. The former tenth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, King ended 2026 leading the Nationals' farm system in batting average (.316) and OPS (.942) in addition to ranking top five in OBP (.397), slugging (.545), hits (118) and total bases (204). King also ranked top ten in several other categories, yet how he did it may be most impressive after climbing from Double A to spending the bulk of year two in Triple A. In Rochester, King posted a .289 batting average with 16 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Abrams, however, has proven himself as a core part of the foundation as he joined James Wood at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, the second time the teammates have shared the field in the event. Whether it will be enough to stay at Abrams' position of choice remains unclear, though.