MLB executives reportedly feel the Washington Nationals are planning to trade All-Star starter MacKenzie Gore in the near future, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Olney wrote Friday that executives “report a ton of trade talk going on right now, with some front office types saying teams are more open, more willing than in recent years to discuss a range of players.”
Among those front offices, Olney reported there is a perception that Gore “will definitely be among those moved in the days ahead.”
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni had “held discussions with multiple teams about Gore, but the ask is understandably high.”
Toboni confirmed Thursday in an appearance on Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney that the Nats would “listen” to offers on Gore.
Gore is under team control through the 2027 season. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2025 while recording a 4.17 ERA through 30 starts and 159.2 innings.
The starter leaned heavily on his fastball against all batters last season, while tossing in a slider against left-handers and a curveball against right handers, per Baseball Savant.
McDaniel and Passan noted that although Gore “hasn’t quite made the jump to a frontline starter that some envisioned years ago,” adding a fourth pitch to that rotation could be “key” to that development.
The ESPN reporters went on to list the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks as “team fits” for Gore.
That list features some strong pitching development pipelines, including in Texas, where Rangers pitching coach Jordan Tiegs helped his club put together one of the strongest rotations in the league last season.
The Yankees meanwhile have Matt Blake, who has become instrumental in developing the organization’s pitchers since he was hired in 2019. He is currently working with Cam Schlittler on adding a changeup or splitter to his repertoire next season, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News.
Any club making a trade offer for Gore could be hoping to help him reach the next level by expanding his pitch range while he is still a relatively affordable player under arbitration control.
The Nationals could meanwhile be hoping to receive prospects in return for a potential trade as the club looks to continue rebuilding toward its first playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2019.