The Washington Nationals continue to field trade interest surrounding starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles linked
Aside from what changes will be made with new leadership in place, the continued storyline surrounding starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore has become the biggest topic of the Washington Nationals offseason.
Both the New York Mets and New York Yankees found themselves linked to the Nationals' starter last week with reports that the Nationals' asking price from the Mets made it clear the two sides were merely engaged in discussions rather than close to a deal. That consensus remains to be the case, though Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted that multiple teams "remain engaged" with the Nationals on Gore with the starting pitching market thinning out.
Morosi added that no deal is close with any team while also noting the Baltimore Orioles as a potential suitor in addition to the Mets, an indication that it could be Gore who is most likely to be moved with Tarik Skubal expected to remain with the Detroit Tigers while the New York Yankees pulled the trigger on another trade after acquiring Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.
While other outlets have also projected the Baltimore Orioles to land Peralta, it marks the latest twist for the Nationals and Gore as president of baseball operations Paul Toboni navigates through his biggest question mark ahead of the 2026 season.
Gore was initially viewed as a trade candidate for the Nationals, but the biggest question surrounded when Washington could make a move. Toboni stressed during Winter Meetings back during the first week of December that the organization would continue to evaluate all options with repeatedly over half the league inquiring about his status.
With pitching a major question mark for the Nationals heading into the 2026 season, both across the starting rotation and bullpen, Gore gives the Nationals its ace as he looks for stability in 2026. Gore is coming off an uneven performance in 2025 yet despite two years remaining of club control, how he opens the 2026 season could drastically alter the asking price for the Nationals.
Gore is coming his first career All Star appearance despite a 5-15 record and 4.17 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 3.74 FIP. He also recorded 185 strikeouts and 3.0 bWAR across 159.2 innings pitched and 30 starts. But it was the first half of the season that elevated Gore's profile across the league and set the stage for his first career accolade before cooling off following the mid-season break. Gore finished the season 1-7 with a 6.75 ERA in his final eleven starts of the 2025 season. He also allowed 11 home runs through his first 19 starts, yet gave up nine home runs across the final 49.1 innings pitched.
Gore arrived with the Washington Nationals as part of the 2022 blockbuster trade that sent star outfielder Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres, a deal that also proved to shape the future of the organization with both shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood arriving in Washington.
Washington is set to host an invite-only training camp beginning next week and ahead of spring training set to begin on Feb. 21 against St. Louis.