Could MacKenzie Gore be the next Washington Nationals star to be traded?

After Mike Rizzo’s firing, there have been some whispers about a potential MacKenzie Gore trade, is that a good or realistic idea?

Since the firing of Mike Rizzo, there has been talk about how the Nationals need to retool their sputtering rebuild. The roster is filled with holes and the farm system is average at best. Big changes might need to take place to get this rebuild back on track. One idea that has been floated is trading All-Star ace MacKenzie Gore.

MacKenzie Gore has 2.5 years of team control before hitting free agency after the 2027 season. That is exactly how much team control Juan Soto had when they traded him to the Padres for a haul that got them Gore and much more. Gore is represented by super agent Scott Boras, who is reluctant to have his clients sign extensions before hitting the open market.

There have already been suggestions of a Gore trade in the past few days. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post floated the idea of a Gore trade in his column the other day. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal also brought up the idea on the Foul Territory podcast.

If Gore is not going to re-sign, could a trade be the best option. His value is at an all time high and Gore would get the Nationals a massive prospect haul. He would not net a Juan Soto like package, but he would likely get the team multiple top 100 prospects. A package similar to the one the White Sox got for Garrett Crochet could be on the cards. When asked about the idea, interim GM Mike DeBartolo played things close to the vest, but did not totally reject the idea.

According to reports, DeBartolo played a key role in designing the return in the Juan Soto trade. Could DeBartolo pull off another masterclass this time with Gore? Maybe so, but doing this would prove that the rebuild has failed.

If things were going well, the Nats would be closing in on playoff contention and Gore would be a big part of that. However, the Nats are unlikely to be contenders in 2026 and even 2027 could be a question mark. That begs the question, will Gore even be around by the time the Nats are good again?

All this might make you believe that trading Gore is a slam dunk decision, but it is not. There are a lot of complicated factors at play here. Obviously, trading Gore would be a very tough pill to swallow. He is just coming into his own and it would be painful to see another team get the best years of Gore after all the time we put into making him that front of the rotation guy.

If you do trade Gore, where are you finding the next ace to replace him. Top of the rotation arms like him do not exactly grow on trees. Travis Sykora is good, but he is still a 21 year old with 4.2 innings above high-A who is hurt right now. Is he the guy, maybe but it is far from certain. Maybe the Nats go out and buy a top line starter but if they want to do that this offseason, wouldn’t it be best just to keep Gore.

The other big factor is who is trading him. Right now Mike DeBartolo is in charge, but only on an interim basis. He might be the permanent guy but we do not know right now. Do we want an interim GM pulling the trigger on a trade of this magnitude?

I am not sure about that. For me, the best course of action would be to hire a new GM, whether that is DeBartolo or someone else and evaluate from that. Maybe the haul is not quite as big because teams are only getting Gore for two playoff runs instead of three, but you would still get a monster return.

If the new GM comes in and wants to trade Gore, I think that is a move that is absolutely on the table. The Nationals southpaw ace is unlikely to sign an extension and it is unclear if the team will be good by 2027.

Trading Gore would be a statement that the rebuild has been rebooted and more time is needed. We thought we were at the end of the tunnel before this season, but it turned out that light was just an oncoming train.

Trading Gore is a tough decision that would devastate me. I have loved watching Gore turn into what he is today. He has truly blossomed into the ace we all knew he could be. If the Nats could agree to an extension with him, I would be over the moon.

However, that feels unlikely given his representation. At the end of the day, you have to make moves to put the team in the best possible position. There is a pretty solid argument that the short term pain of trading Gore could be worth the long term gain. It would be a tough pill to swallow, but it is something the new regime will have to consider.