When talking to a pool of reporters at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer echoed that pitching will be the team’s largest focus this offseason. 

That doesn’t come as a major surprise, considering the Cubs could use a top-of-the-line starting pitcher. They actively searched for a starting pitcher at the 2025 Trade Deadline, and that position is a need heading into the 2026 season. 

Shota Imanaga’s future with the team is up in the air, Justin Steele is still working his way back from injury, and the front office almost certainly doesn’t want to rely on Colin Rea/Javier Assad as the team’s No. 4 and No. 5 starters to begin the year. 

So, we should expect the Cubs to do everything they can to land a top starting pitcher this offseason. That could come in free agency by signing Dylan Cease or Framber Valdez, or a surprise trade could be in the works. 

One pitcher Chicago was supposedly interested in at the Trade Deadline was MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals. It appeared that the Cubs wanted him to boost their rotation, but Washington’s asking price seemed to be too high. 

Now, Gore could be on the trade market once again. Both Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic believe that the Nationals pitcher is one of the likelier frontline starters to be moved in the coming months. 

Given that the Cubs showed interest in Gore once already, they could make a move to acquire one of the best up-and-coming pitchers in baseball. 

The 26-year-old made his first All-Star appearance this past year behind an incredible first half. The southpaw had a 3.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts across his first 19 starts in 2025. Although a rough second half (6.75 ERA in 11 starts) hurt his overall numbers, this is a pitcher the Cubs could look to target this offseason. 

He is only 26 years old and has multiple years of control left. Gore won’t enter free agency until after the 2027 season. That means if the Cubs trade for him, they would have him for two full seasons. 

The biggest hurdle in trying to trade for Gore will be Washington’s asking price. He has the tools to be a top pitcher in the league, and the Nationals know that. That’s why they had a crazy high asking price back in July. 

Reports stated that Washington wanted Cade Horton, Matt Shaw, and Owen Caissie for the 26-year-old left-hander at the Trade Deadline. That explains why the Cubs and Nationals weren’t able to reach a deal. 

However, this offseason presents the two sides with another opportunity to revisit trade talks and potentially reach a deal. 

If the Cubs want someone of Gore’s caliber, they will likely have to part with one of their top-100 prospects (Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, or Jaxon Wiggins). The likeliest deal could involve Wiggins and another top-10 prospect in the team’s farm system, like Kevin Alcantara. 

That should be enough to acquire Gore this offseason. But it all depends on whether the front office wants to pull the trigger on a pitcher who has yet to show consistency across a full season in his Major League career.