For anyone who has followed me on social media for a while or read some of the pieces I wrote on this site leading up to and following the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline, you would know my thoughts on the possibility of trading lefty MacKenzie Gore. While it's truly nothing personal at all, I have firmly been on the wave that the team needs to explore all of their options to move him.
There are numerous reasons for this: his inability to put it together for a full season and maintain consistency, the fact that he's represented by Scott Boras and has about a 99.9% chance of hitting free agency after the 2027 season, and the fact that as a pitcher who hasn't exactly been the gold standard for health in his career, he's not exactly a sure thing.
But if those reasons weren't enough, perhaps the trade returns of a few young starting pitchers that have been traded would be reason enough to entice you into a Gore trade if you are on the fence. It's pretty obvious the Nationals likely won't be competitive this season, and next season might even be a stretch as well. With that being likely, there is really no point in waiting to lose him in free agency when his value is still very high because of the control he has remaining.
Back on December 19th, the Tampa Bay Rays traded righty Shane Baz in their division to the Baltimore Orioles for a massive haul that included 4 Top 30 prospects from Baltimore's system and a top Competitive Balance Round A pick (33rd overall). While Baz will not hit free agency until 2029, he is an inferior pitcher to Gore and does also have health concerns of his own. If a guy like that can get a package like he did, what could a pitcher who's better and only 4 months older get?
It's a fair question, and even more intriguing when you look at the recent Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs trade that was made yesterday. The Cubs sent over 3 prospects including their #1 prospect in outfielder Owen Caissie, and their #11 prospect with infielder Cristian Hernandez in exchange for righty Edward Cabrera, who is both older than Gore and also probably not as good of an overall pitcher. The Cubs had been rumored to be very in on Gore around the time of the deadline, but they now have their answer for their rotation boost.
Cabrera similarly has immense injury concerns, and similar to Baz, is under control until 2029. It has been widely reported that the Nationals have been 'asking the moon' for Gore, and at this point, do they have any reason not to? It seems as if a team is going to pony up at some point, and hopefully for the Nationals' sake, they are able to get a massive haul for him from a team with a deep farm system before the season starts to help mitigate any risk.
While it certainly stings for the Nationals to miss out on being able to tap into a deep Chicago Cubs farm system, there are still other teams out there like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or Detroit Tigers who all could make a lot of sense and have the deep farm systems to be able to make a deal for Gore.
When do you think the Nationals should trade MacKenzie Gore? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.