Today is actually the first day of the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. Most years, the GM meetings don’t result in any massive moves, instead they set the scene for things that happen later in the offseason. However, this year could be different due to the looming lockout. Teams could be more active this year, and the Nats could take advantage of that.
Jon Morosi reported that trade discussions are more advanced than they usually are at this point of the offseason. This is almost certainly due to the fact that teams will not be able to make roster moves when the lockout begins in early December. There is a real deadline in place, so that means GM’s will be working with more urgency.
We may only see one or two deals during the meetings themselves, which run from November 9th to the 12th. However, I would not be surprised if we see things really pick up in the next week or so. If the last labor dispute is any indicator, a lot of the top free agents will fly off the board in the end of November.
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In the 2021 offseason, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Max Scherzer and Javier Baez were among the names to sign contracts worth over $100 million before the lockout started. This offseason, we could see players such as Tarik Skubal, Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki sign mega-deals.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote a good breakdown of what we should expect from the GM Meetings. It is a good time for the new executives to get themselves acquainted and for the groundwork of deals to be laid. Executives will be doing a lot of chatting, and surely some interesting trade proposals will be exchanged.
I wonder what this could mean for CJ Abrams. If the Nats were to pull the trigger on an Abrams trade, it would make the most sense to do it before the lockout. GM’s will certainly be calling or chatting with Paul Toboni and the Nats brass about Abrams. To be honest, I do not have a great feel on whether the Nats will make the move this offseason.
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When last offseason came around, I was fairly confident that MacKenzie Gore would be dealt and Abrams would stay. While I wanted the Nats to be a player in free agency, my hopes were not high. This offseason, I am less sure about what they will do.
After making big strides during the 2026 season, things are less cut and dry for Paul Toboni. This is not a full scale rebuild anymore. The Nats are not contenders yet, but they also should not be trading big pieces just for the sake of it.
During the GM Meetings and the week following the event, I think we will get more clarity about what Paul Toboni’s plans are. He has already shown he is not afraid to act and make big moves. These next few weeks could be huge in determining what the next few years of Nats baseball looks like. The groundwork for these actions will be laid out at the GM Meetings this week in Vegas.
