Nationals expected to receive trade calls on elite defensive center fielder

The Washington Nationals might be in legitimate postseason contention this season thanks to their incredible offense led by James Wood and CJ Abrams, but that doesn't mean they won't consider selling with the future in mind.

While rentals who are free agents after the 2026 season will be named to closely monitor, one MLB insider revealed that the Nationals are expected to receive heated interest in their elite defensive center fielder once again.

Robert Murray of Fansided.com reports that the Nationals are expected to field trade calls on Jacob Young this summer, as the teams that showed interest in him over the offseason are likely to come calling once more.

Nationals expect to receive trade calls on Jacob Young 

"It's also why outfielder Jacob Young also drew interest in the winter - and after a strong start in 2026, those same teams likely will come calling," Murray writes.

The Nationals are open to selling some players, as evidenced by their willingness to trade MacKenzie Gore over the offseason.

But, they need the right price to move on from someone. Abrams will be very hard for a team to acquire, especially as he's breaking out as one of the best shortstops in MLB this season.

Young, the defensive wizard out in center field, might be a lot more realistic of a trade option for teams this summer.

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Teams will surely have a serious interest in adding an elite defensive center fielder, especially since Young has also shown some decent offensive upside this season.

In 71 games, Young has a .679 OPS and a 90 OPS+. Those are both career-highs for Young, and it's thanks in part to hitting eight homers this season, more than he had in the 899 at-bats prior to this season in his career.

Young is still fairly young at 26 years old and is under club control through the 2029 season. This is the kind of player who would draw significant interest in the trade market for a team looking for a long-term outfielder.

A team like the Chicago White Sox, that's just starting to contend, would make sense as a landing spot for Young this summer. But there are plenty of other teams that could use Young in their outfield for the next four years.

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