Jul 30, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) works the ball before pitching against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Nationals May Come to Regret Not Trading Ace Pitcher MacKenzie Gore

Originally posted on Washington Nationals on SI
By Jacob Moss | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 5:06 PM ET

The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline has now come and gone, and the Washington Nationals were unsurprisingly one of the biggest sellers.

This season has shown that the Nats are still firmly in rebuilding mode, and as such, it was a no-brainer for the front office to sell high on several key assets that were unlikely to play a role in the long-term vision of the franchise.

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Washington certainly got a fair return on the players they shipped off to contenders, but one guy they decided not to keep around despite his monumental trade value was the Ace of their rotation in MacKenzie Gore.

There had been a ton of discussion leading up to the deadline about whether or not the team should look to move on from their best starter, given the immense package he surely would have netted.

Interim GM Mike DeBartolo decided against shipping Gore off to the highest bidder, though, despite some pretty sizable interest around the league, and this could be a decision the team comes to regret down the line.

Interestingly, the Padres also made a real run at former Padre Mackenzie Gore, part of the Nats’ alltime package for Juan Soto. Not sure anyone came close on the All-Star lefty but the Pads were the maybe the most aggressive pursuer.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 1, 2025

There's no question that Gore is currently the best arm that Washington has, but it's far from certain if he'll end up as "the guy" at the top of the team's rotation when they are finally on the other side of this rebuild.

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He's already in his age-26 season, and his numbers have regressed back to around league average in recent weeks (3.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP), which, while solid, are far from the numbers any true contender is looking for in their frontline starter.

There's also the fact that the Nationals are unlikely to be actual postseason threats for at least another couple of years, and there's a real possibility that Gore ends up regressing further as he approaches his age-30 season.

With so much uncertainty surrounding both the team and whether or not Gore truly is their Ace of the future, there's a real argument to be made that Washington just passed up their best opportunity to trade their best bargaining chip when his value was at its absolute peak.

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Now, they'll be hoping Gore can at least maintain his form while they finish out their rebuild, and that's a gamble that many teams come to regret dearly.

Only time will tell if the Nats made the right call in keeping Gore, but if they didn't, then this could end up being a decision that comes back to haunt them a few years down the line.

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This article first appeared on Washington Nationals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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