Nationals Discuss MacKenzie Gore With Multiple Clubs

The Washington Nationals find themselves at a crossroads, and the name at the center of it is MacKenzie Gore. Newly installed president of baseball operations Paul Toboni is evaluating the roster and the franchise’s long-term direction.

The organization is weighing whether now’s the time to cash in on its most valuable controllable arm. This winter, Gore has become one of the most intriguing trade candidates in baseball—a blend of upside, affordability, and risk that kind of sums up where the Nationals are in their rebuild.

Why the Nationals Are Considering a MacKenzie Gore Trade

Under Toboni’s leadership, the Nationals seem to be shifting from a quick reset to a more deliberate, long-range rebuild. Paired with manager Blake Butera, Toboni looks ready to prioritize future value over short-term stability.

That puts Gore right in the spotlight. He’s 26, turning 27 in February, and he’s just two years from free agency.

As a Boras Corporation client, Gore probably won’t sign an early extension. That reality shapes Washington’s thinking in a big way.

Control is ticking away, and so is the chance to maximize his trade value. They know the window’s closing.

Gore’s Contract and Trade Value Window

Teams love pitchers who are both talented and affordable, and Gore checks both boxes—for now. Each month, though, his club control shrinks, and the closer he gets to free agency, the more his value shifts from premium asset to short-term rental.

For a rebuilding club, that timing is everything. It’s a tough call.

Evaluating MacKenzie Gore’s Performance and Upside

On pure stuff and performance, Gore looks like a frontline-caliber starter when he’s healthy. Over the past two seasons, he’s logged 326 innings with a 4.03 ERA, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story.

The first half of 2025 showed the left-hander at near-ace levels. Before the All-Star break, Gore put up a 3.02 ERA, mixing swing-and-miss stuff with better command and a sharper approach to sequencing hitters at the big-league level.

Strikeout Power Among the Game’s Elite

Maybe the most eye-catching thing about Gore is his ability to miss bats. His 30.5% strikeout rate over that recent stretch puts him in rare company—think Tarik Skubal and Zack Wheeler.

For teams chasing impact arms, that kind of strikeout dominance is the main draw. It’s hard to find.

The Injury Question: Risk That Teams Must Weigh

With most high-octane arms, the upside comes with risk. Gore’s 2025 season is a reminder of how fragile pitching value can be.

After his brilliant first half, he dealt with multiple health issues—shoulder inflammation and a right ankle impingement. Those problems sapped his effectiveness and bumped his season ERA up to 4.17.

For a club thinking about giving up premium prospects, every medical report matters. They’ll be combing through every detail.

Timing the Market: Offseason vs. Trade Deadline

This is where things get tricky for the Nationals. If Gore opens 2026 healthy and dominant, his trade value could shoot up by the July deadline.

But another injury or slump could tank that value fast. Washington has to decide if they want to gamble on upside or play it safe.

Why MacKenzie Gore Stands Out in This Pitching Market

Context is everything, and right now, Gore’s profile pops. Controllable frontline pitching is always scarce, and a lot of the usual big names just aren’t available.

Guys like Sonny Gray and Sandy Alcantara are off the table for all sorts of reasons—contracts, injuries, team priorities. That scarcity boosts Gore’s appeal for clubs that need more than a one-year fix and want a potential ace they can drop into the rotation right away.

What the Nationals Likely Want in Return

Given where the Nationals are competitively, the return for Gore is almost certainly going to be future-focused. Washington will probably prioritize:

They’ll be looking to turn two years of Gore into six or seven years of team control across multiple young players. That’s the goal, anyway.

What a Gore Trade Would Signal About Washington’s Rebuild

Moving MacKenzie Gore would be more than just a roster move. It’d send a message about the Nationals’ timeline.

If they trade away their most appealing pitching asset, they’re basically admitting they don’t expect to contend soon. It would show they value gathering young, long-term talent over chasing short-term hope.

For other teams, Gore stands out as one of the best chances this winter to snag a high-strikeout lefty in his mid-20s who’s still under team control. For the Nationals, he’s both a cornerstone and a possible trade chip.

He’s exactly the kind of player that makes a front office question where they really are—and where they want to be.

 
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