This CJ Abrams trade proposal could push Cubs into uncomfortable territory

There's a world where the Chicago Cubs bring back Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki this winter and there is no corner outfield question heading into 2027. Happ feels far likelier to return than Suzuki given the latter has the chance to cash in as the top impact bat on the market this winter, but nothing can be completely ruled out at this point.

But, assuming at least one of the two moves on in free agency, the Cubs will face major questions about its outfield mix and who they plan to surround presumptive National League MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong with. Pushing your chips in on a combination of Pedro Ramirez, Matt Shaw and Kevin Alcantara isn't a viable solution and we know most of the financial resources will go toward rebuilding the pitching staff.

This is where the trade market becomes a factor. Jed Hoyer could look to get aggressively creative pre-lockout, leveraging prospects to address areas of need on the big-league roster and few moves would be as surprising as entering the chat as a surprise entrant in CJ Abrams trade rumors.

Abrams, 26, is coming off the best year of his MLB career with the Washington Nationals. He put together a 5.1 bWAR campaign, driven almost entirely by his offensive body of work. Widely regarded as one of the worst defensive middle infielders in baseball, the former first-rounder joined the 30/30 club, smacking 33 home runs and swiping 34 bags in 152 games.

So why are we talking about a middle infielder - and a bad one at that - when the Cubs have Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner locked in for the rest of the decade? Because there's speculation that the Nationals could look to shift Abrams to the outfield, increasing both his versatility and the number of potential trade fits across the league.

Cubs a highly unlikely match with the Nationals in a CJ Abrams trade

Admittedly, the Cubs are nowhere near the top of any list of likely landing spots. And given the season he's coming off, the Nationals' asking price is astronomical. That's why he wasn't moved at the deadline this summer. But for the sake of thinking outside the box, here's what a potential CJ Abrams trade could look like.

I'll be honest. I don't even know if this would be enough to land Abrams, but it's a starting point. What the Nationals desperately want and need is pitching - which makes matching up with Chicago on a trade particularly difficult because arms is a major area of weakness for the Cubs. Washington might want Wiggins, Caple and someone like 2026 first-rounder Cade Townsend given the lack of impact arms on the MLB roster, which would decimate the organization's pitching prospect depth.

From a lineup fit, Abrams would give the Cubs a formidable, dynamic group of talent. But for Hoyer to get this aggressive, the move would have to be accompanied by an equally aggressive push in free agency to land top-tier pitching. It would signal an all-out push to win a ring during this window, while setting the team's long-term outlook back significantly due to the sheer prospect cost.

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