After Firing Top Exec Mike Rizzo, Nationals Could Listen on MacKenzie Gore This Month

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

For the balance of this week, expect the Washington Nationals (and interim leader of baseball operations Michael DeBartolo Jr.) to focus tightly on the 2025 MLB Draft. It kicks off Sunday, and the Nationals have the first overall pick. Though the scouting department that will drive key decisions during the draft is largely intact, for now, the team is pouring all of its resources into making sure they complete the unwieldy job of assembling a top-tier draft class amid a major shakeup for the organization.

After the All-Star Game, though, the team is expected to listen to offers for ace lefthander MacKenzie Gore, according to a source with knowledge of their thinking. It would be a surprise if ownership allowed Gore, one of the jewels of the Juan Soto trade and a 2025 All-Star, to be dealt by an interim executive, but with just two and a half years of team control remaining, Gore could be hard to extend, expensive to keep on year-to-year arbitration-fueled contracts, and insufficient to get the team back into contention by the end of 2027. That's before considering the possibility of a work stoppage that could truncate that season, and before accounting for the risk of an injury to Gore. They might never get a better package offer than the one DeBartolo will hear this month, if he can work the phones well.

At 26, Gore doesn't quite qualify as a late bloomer, but he took a long time to find the level of performance he's attained for much of this first half. In 104 1/3 innings across 18 starts, he's struck out 131 batters, with an arsenal powered by a mid-90s fastball from the left side. He's slightly lowered his arm angle this year, tapping into more lateral break on his curveball, a slider he trusts much more, and a slight, salubrious change to his fastball and changeup shapes.

Gore entered this season with three full years of service time, so unless he's sent to the minor leagues at some point this year or next (very unlikely, of course), he'll be eligible for free agency after 2027. He's making $2.89 million this year, but that salary will more than double for 2026 if he stays healthy. When he's right, though, he's worth all that and much more. His strikeout rate has jumped to 30.5% this year, while his walk rate has dipped to its lowest rate ever (7.9%).

Contenders would line up to offer Washington a windfall for Gore, who pitched 166 innings in 2024 and won't run into an innings limit or (hopefully) even wear down at the end of this year. Initially, few within the game believed he would be available, but after Rizzo's firing, the team has indicated they will at least explore their options in the second half of this month.

The Cubs implications are obvious. If dealt, Gore will be the prize acquisition of July, throughout the game. His combination of affordability, team control and playoff upside will push his price tag into the stratosphere—start with Owen Caissie and Jefferson Rojas, much the way A.J. Preller started with Gore, C.J. Abrams and James Wood when trading for Soto in 2022. However, no player could more obviously or substantially increase the Cubs' likelihood of playing deep into October. Gore is the perfect target, because while he might require almost all their top available talent from the farm, he wouldn't rob them of the financial flexibility they need to make other moves. They could trade for Gore and still supplement their lineup and/or bullpen, or even add another starter for depth and insurance—as long as they're comfortable taking on some money in the process.

A trade for Gore is a longshot. The Cubs might decide they can't afford to risk as much talent as the trade would demand on one pitcher, or they might simply be outbid. Since the odds have shifted and a deal is at least vaguely possible, though, expect to hear the team and the All-Star southpaw linked in rumors at least a time or two between now and the end of the month.

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