Teams Calling Nationals About Their Ace, GM Says He'll Listen to Offers

The Washington Nationals are going to be sellers this year, but just how much are they willing to give up to add future assets to their organization?

That's what other teams are trying to find out.

According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Nationals are receiving calls about their ace MacKenzie Gore, who is in the midst of a break season with him being selected to his first All-Star Game.

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While that is to be expected, the next bit of information he revealed was more pertinent to this fanbase and what they should be paying attention to ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Heyman reported that new general manager Mike DeBartolo said he'll "always listen" when it comes to calls centering around some of their star players, and that includes the left-hander who has carried their pitching staff almost single-handedly.

That doesn't mean Gore is going to get dealt, though.

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DeBartolo made sure to say he would prefer to keep this core group together, but it is notable that Gore's name was again featured in trade speculation with the new executive not immediately shutting down the idea of him getting moved.

It's a smart play DeBartolo to keep the door open.

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By stating he'll listen to offers for Gore, that could cause a pitcher-needy team to offer them another Juan Soto-like package that would give Washington even more future stars to put around the likes of James Wood, CJ Abrams and potentially Dylan Crews and Brady House if they can live up to their potential.

In all likelihood, nothing is going to get done that features the rising star lefty, but until the deadline passes, something crazy could happen that puts the Nationals back into the spotlight.

For more Nationals news, head over to Nationals On SI.