Nationals Asking Price for MacKenzie Gore Is 'Astronomical'

The Washington Nationals are one of the few teams that were clearly going to sell ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

They got things started over the weekend when they sent veteran utility man Amed Rosario to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Clayton Beeter and outfield prospect Browm Martinez.

That deal was considered a win for the Nationals, who turned a $2 million investment of Rosario into two solid prospects who have a good base to work with and develop.

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It is the kind of thing every rebuilding team hopes happens when they take a chance on a veteran free agent who is looking to have a bounce back campaign.

He was the first of several dominoes that could fall for Washington, who have other veteran players that could be on the move ahead of the MLB trade deadline on July 31.

First baseman Nathaniel Lowe, starting pitcher Michael Soroka, close Kyle Finnegan, infielder Paul DeJong and designated hitter Josh Bell all have some level of value across the league, but they aren’t the biggest needle movers available.

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However, the Nationals could turn the trade market upside down if they made ace MacKenzie Gore available.

Trading a player who has blossomed in the fashion which Gore has would seem counteractive to climbing out a rebuild, but he has as much team control remaining as Juan Soto did when he was traded to the San Diego Padres for a package that included the dominant lefty.

Alas, it would take a truly massive offer for Washington to even consider moving their emerging star.

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“The return needed to land Gore would be astronomical and is prohibitive to a deal for the strikeout artist,” wrote Jesse Rogers of ESPN (subscription required).

One of the teams that has been linked to Gore is the Chicago Cubs, who desperately need starting pitching depth and would love to add an ace to the mix.

They possess the kind of farm system talent the Nationals would require to trade their All-Star pitcher with some of the best prospects in baseball residing on their minor league teams.

There is one player Washington would expect in return as the center piece of any Gore trade package: third baseman Matt Shaw.

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“ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has said that the key player the Nationals are rumored to want for Gore is third baseman Matt Shaw, who isn't on the table,” Rogers added.

If their asking price, no matter how astronomical it is, is not met, the Nationals don’t have to move the talented lefty.

Finding and developing and ace is one of the toughest things to do in baseball and Washington has already accomplished that. Trading him only make sense if they get back exactly everything they are seeking.

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