The Washington Nationals and their new front office regime have been busy so far this offseason. As I have said before, there is honestly probably not another organization in baseball that had more to do this winter than the Nationals, who almost had to reset their franchise from ground zero in order to make forward progress.
This was because of the complacency and misuse led by the previous front office under Mike Rizzo, and now the Nationals are paying the price for it. Fortunately for the Nationals, Paul Toboni and the rest of the brand new front office are doing what they feel is necessary to set the club in a positive direction moving forward.
While it may not directly reflect in terms of free agent signings, whether it's making trades or hiring entirely new coaching and managerial staffs both at the big leagues and each level of the minor leagues, Toboni has had a ton on his plate. However, it might be the move he has not yet made that is capturing the majority of the headlines at this point.
All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore has had his name intertwined with trade rumors since last summer, when all signs pointed to him being dealt at the deadline before interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo decided not to deal him. While his name has continued to find its way into numerous rumor cycles for teams around the league, to this point, he is still slated to be a member of the Nationals come Opening Day of 2026.
Teams that had been rumored to be in on Gore are now going with alternative options, whether it be the Chicago Cubs, who acquired Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins last week, and now the New York Yankees are joining them as well. Both the Cubs and Yankees were likely 2 of the most obvious suitors for Gore, and ended up going with inferior options.
The Yankees went out and acquired lefty starter Ryan Weathers from the Marlins yesterday, and they were able to snag him without giving up any of their premier prospects in their farm system. While Weathers is a fine pitcher, durability has been a huge concern, logging just 125 innings over the last 2 seasons.
But while Toboni and the front office have reportedly not received an offer that has met their high asking price, it seems as if Gore is continuing to trend towards being on the Nationals to begin this season. It is a huge risk, as if Gore gets off to a rough start in 2026, his value will continue to decrease. God forbid he gets injured too, or else the Nationals would be in deep trouble.
The reality is that the Nationals have a golden opportunity to get a few premier prospects from a contending club now, and although it seems as if he won't be dealt, I will continue to hold out hope.
Do you think MacKenzie Gore will end up getting traded this offseason still? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.