This is an important offseason for Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni as he tries to get this franchise to the next stage of their rebuild.
While free agency is something that is being circled as a way for the Nationals to boost their talent, especially with the possibility of more spending taking place this winter, they could also choose to be aggressive in the trade market, as well.
Someone who might draw interest this winter is elite defensive center fielder Jacob Young, as the two-time Gold Glove finalist showed growth with the bat in his hands this past season that might make him someone teams choose to pursue.
Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post (subscription required), the New York Yankees were previously interested in Young.
The insider does not state whether or not there actual trade talks between the two sides centered around Young too place, or even when there was interest shown by the Yankees regarding Young. But it does point to the fact that there are teams who have circled the 27-year-old as someone they would like to bring into their organization if possible.
As far as the Nationals are concerned, Young was someone they loosely shopped last offseason. Toboni and his front office gauged the market to see what type of return they might get for Young, but it wasn't clear what the interest levels were. Now, after a year where Young slashed .252/.318/.390 with career-highs in home runs (10), extra-base hits (35), RBIs (50) and OPS+ (94), teams might view him as more of an everyday center fielder instead of just a defensive specialist.
Washington Nationals center fielder Jacob Young | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On New York's side of things, it's pretty clear why they would want to acquire Young: they need a center fielder.
Trent Grisham is now a free agent. He's coming off a disappointing season in 2026 where he was both a liability at the plate and in the field. That means he likely won't be re-signed. The Yankees might also be hesitant to start former top prospect Spencer Jones there every day, and Cody Bellinger is more of a corner infielder at this stage of his career. Add in the declining health and increased age of Aaron Judge, and New York needs to raise their floor when it comes to defensive capabilities in center.
Young fits that billing to a tee . And with multiple years of club control remaining -- he's arbitration eligible starting in 2027 -- he would provide the Yankees with stability in center field while the rest of their young players develop. Because of that, Washington might be able to get a strong package back in return if they were to trade away Young.
But why would the Nationals make this trade? For one, the Dylan Crews conundrum is still weighing over them.
While he didn't pop this past season like everyone was hoping or expecting, he did show some growth, especially against lefties. And despite the fact he's not as good of a defender as Young in center field -- very few are -- Crews still is an above-average defender who provides a high floor with the glove. So by giving Crews more runway as an everyday player, he might be able to finally reach his ceiling of being one of the best prospects in baseball while he was coming up the minor league ranks.
Beyond that, Washington could get back more pieces for the future or even some much-needed win-now players from New York if the two sides were to make a deal.
The Nationals have to get creative when it comes to improving their roster. While the hope is that more spending will take place, that's not a given. So by trading Young to an outfield-needy team like the Yankees, that just might allow them to add some players that will firmly put Washington into the wild card mix in 2027.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Could Nationals Explore Trade With Yankees Regarding Jacob Young This Offseason? .
