“Washington has been rebuilding since the pandemic, and isn’t any closer to actually re-emerging as a contender,” Miller wrote. “The Nats traded away MacKenzie Gore and Jose A. Ferrer this winter. They didn’t add much that is liable to help the team in 2026, unless you’re irrationally optimistic about Miles Mikolas.”
Miller suggested that the best trade partner would be a team with injury worries in their middle infield, and the Yankees fit the bill.
“Short of knowing what injury news will look like in early August, though, the Yankees may make the most sense here,” Miller wrote. “Primary 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. has plans of joining the 50/50 club, but he is often injured, and it’s his final season before free agency. Primary SS Anthony Volpe is recovering from labrum surgery and is probably entering a make-or-break year after three straight seasons with an OPS of around .660.”
Miller added that top prospect George Lombard Jr. is expected to join the Yankees at some point during this season, but the team could still target a more proven player like Abrams, who was an All-Star in 2024.
More Injury Concerns for the Yankees
The Yankees could have more than one position in need due to injuries. Giancarlo Stanton missed 85 games last year while dealing with arthritic conditions in both elbows, and he is still dealing with pain as the 2026 season approaches.
Pinstripes Nation reporter and analyst Sara Molnick noted that “the daily reality of [Stanton’s] condition is far more severe than most Yankees fans realize.”
Stanton had a sobering assessment of the ailment, telling NJ.com’s Randy Miller that he will never be without discomfort again.
“Not while I’m in this line of work,” he said. “You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything.”
Stanton added that the pain has grown so severe that he has trouble with everyday activities.
“I can’t open a bottle,” Stanton said. “I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”
The slugger added that he could have undergone surgery, but was fearful it might take away some of his power at the plate.
“That’s not going to be fixed in surgery, and I don’t care what any doctor says because they don’t know what’s going on,” Stanton said. “What’s written (about my elbows) is what me and the Yankees give you.”
If the injury forces Stanton to miss significant time again this season, it could alter trade plans for the Yankees to address his absence.