The Washington Nationals have a strong core.
And to build up around that core, the Nats first have to keep the core itself happy.
Salary arbitration is coming this offseason for a number of Washington's key players, led by MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams.
MLB Trade Rumors has used an algorithm for more than a decade to project arbitration values, and it has spit out a value for each of these Nats' stars.
For Gore, it projects $4.7 million in salary.
For Abrams, it projects $5.6 million.
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The arbitration process does have the tendency to feel like it is underpaying stars, and both those values feel like bargains.
Gore had a 4.17 ERA this past season with 185 strikeouts in 159.2 innings. Summing up how the Nats' season went, even with those numbers, he was just 5-15.
Abrams batted .257 with a .748 OPS. He hit 35 doubles, five triples, 19 homers and stole 31 bases.
The Nats will also have Luis Garcia Jr. and Josiah Gray among their other arbitration candidates.
James Wood, just a year-and-a-half into his career, isn't yet eligible for arbitration.
Washington will likely have to hit the free agent pool to improve its pitching rotation around Gore, but the lineup is actually in decent shape.
The NL East is a brutal division, but the Nats can start to turn the corner in 2026 with the right moves this offseason.
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