Until there is a resolution one way or another when it comes to the Washington Nationals potentially trading MacKenzie Gore, he’s going to be featured in tons of rumors and mock trade ideas.
And with the Winter Meetings right around the corner where leadership from virtually every team will be in attendance, that will only be amplified further since it was reported that conversations featuring Gore have already been had with some clubs.
Right now, no one knows what it will take to land the left-handed ace. The Nationals rightfully are going to ask for a monster return package since they would be giving up their best pitcher with two years of club control remaining.
But Kiley McDaniel of ESPN put together a trade idea between Washington and the Baltimore Orioles that he thinks could be something that garners the interest of Paul Toboni.
Nationals Acquire Multiple Top 30 Prospects in Mock Trade
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McDaniel has the Nationals getting back four top 30 prospects from the Orioles in exchange for Gore: No. 6 Slater de Brun, No. 7 Esteban Mejia, No. 28 J.T. Quinn and No. 30 Austin Overn.
Both de Brun and Overn are outfielders, while Mejia and Quinn are right-handed pitchers. de Brun and Quinn were 2025 draft picks, with the former getting selected 37th overall and the latter getting selected 69th overall.
“I have the Nats opting for a larger package of players that includes what I think will be the sorts of prospects we’ll see new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni target. It helps new execs coming from the draft side of evaluation to target recent draftees, with de Brun and Quinn from the 2025 draft and Overn from the 2024 draft,” wrote McDaniel.
The Orioles signed Slater de Brun for $4 million, the highest bonus given to a player drafted after the first round in 2025.
Now he’s one of 10 prospects who caught our attention this fall.
More details: https://t.co/Spg1v06iAk pic.twitter.com/sW9lwb6DQi
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 26, 2025
de Brun and Mejia would the be the headliners of this return package for Washington. Both are 18 years old with MLB ETAs coming in 2029, and both have huge ceilings based on what they’ve shown in the minors already in Mejia’s case and what they are projected to do in de Brun’s case.
Mejia owns a career 3.05 ERA across 24 starts the past two seasons. He has a fastball that can touch over the 100 mph mark and he reached the Single-A level this year after beginning the 2025 campaign with Baltimore’s rookie affiliate.
Neither de Brun nor Quinn played this past season after they were drafted. But 2024 third-round pick Overn was fairly impressive this year during his first full season of professional baseball with a slash line of .249/.355/.399,13 home runs and 43 RBIs across 113 total games where he was actually better during his time at Double-A to close out the year.
It stands to reason why Toboni might be interested in this return package. All four prospects are young and could be risers as they progress through their minor league careers.
Whether this — or something like this — is what ultimately allows the Nationals to be comfortable sending Gore out of town will be seen. But with the Winter Meetings right around the corner, expect more rumors regarding a potential trade to surface.
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