The Washington Nationals made the first big move of the Paul Toboni era as he breaks down the decision, what went into it and the what it means in 2026 and beyond.
For months, reports of a possible trade surrounding Washington Nationals top pitcher MacKenzie Gore remained consistent - teams continued to inquire, a new ‘hot team’ would come and go with feedback pointing to the asking price as a deterrent from a deal materializing. But that changed, and according to president of baseball operations Paul Toboni that changed over the last week as the Texas Rangers emerged after both the New York Mets and Yankees were linked to the longtime trade candidate.
"If you asked me a week ago was this going to happen, I probably would've said no," Toboni said on Zoom with local media on Thursday night. "But over the course of the last week, momentum built, and we finally got to a spot where it made sense for us."
The front office officially pulled the trigger on a trade on Thursday that sent Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for five prospects, including a pair of top six prospects in the Rangers’ farm system and the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft in shortstop Gavin Fien. While he’s likely to move to second base with former top overall pick Eli Willits already slotted at shortstop in Single-A, it adds to the firepower in the future of the Nationals’ infield. All five additions also rank inside the Nationals' top 25 best prospects, per MLB.com's updated rankings, with Fien leading the way at fifth.
While none of the additions are expected to crack the 2026 40-man roster, the Nationals prioritized the infield in its return haul, per the Washington Post, as Toboni added the front office remained “open-minded through it all” when sifting through trade interest across the league.
“Just generally speaking, we see high-end talent in this return, but we also see intriguing depth. For us, I think there are a number of ways the ball can bounce in the future. And we can look up in however many years and we have three, four, five really good players who have come out of this."
But big picture, Thursday’s trade removed the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the head of a first-year management and coaching staff. Toboni was transparent about the fact that the team was listening to offers during Winter Meetings and beyond with reports of over half the league at least inquiring about his status. While the trade poses several questions, such as who materializes into the Nationals’ probable Opening Day starter, it also cements what’s expected to be another rebuilding season after finishing with just 66 wins a season ago. Toboni also issued a message to fans who are searching for the team’s first winning record since the World Series title in 2019.
"I think we've got to be honest with ourselves," Toboni said. "The truth is – and I don't think this is a mystery to the fanbase, the media or anyone – we lost 96 games last year. To turn it around in one year and make the playoffs...not to say it can't be done, but it's a challenge,” Toboni added. “What we want to do is make sure we build this really strong foundation, so when we do start to push chips in, we can win for an extended period of time. That fits with that strategy for us. Our hope is that we can hopefully achieve our potential, whatever that is, this year. And then hopefully beyond this year win for years to come."
While the Gore haul adds to the latest return on the Juan Soto trade nearly four years ago, Toboni pointed to the talent in the organization’s farm system as reason to be optimistic in the first signature move of the new leadership.
“I hear it and I empathize with it. I think back to my, whatever, 15-year-old self, thinking about it - I was a Giants fan at the time - bummed to see a player of this caliber leaving, obviously, and a leader on the team and that sort of thing. But I would paint a much more optimistic picture. I think the excitement that comes with these players that we’re getting in return exceeds kind of the disappointment of seeing MacKenzie go. And that’s just me talking as the head of baseball operations now. I’m really excited about the package that we’ve gotten in return and I hope the fans see it the same way.”