Washington Nationals Pitcher Tabbed 'Best Fit' For Playoff Contender At Trade Deadline

The Washington Nationals brought in a tremendous haul in 2022, when they traded Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. From a wins above replacement standpoint and several other measures, they acquired their three best players: outfielder James Wood, pitcher MacKenzie Gore and shortstop C.J. Abrams.

But the Nationals were unable to build a team around that core trio, and now sit in last place in the NL East with 41-60 record. That led to the firing of general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez on July 6. It also means the Nationals could sell off some of their best players at the trade deadline.

On Monday, ESPN's Jeff Passan listed Gore as the "best fit" for the Chicago Cubs, as part of his 2025 MLB trade deadline preview. It came with a bit of a caveat, though.

"The prospect of the Cubs getting a starter such as Gore from Washington or Joe Ryan from the Minnesota Twins is unlikely because of the exorbitant cost landing those players would demand and Chicago's propensity to play things safe amid budgetary constraints. At the same time, the Cubs have been one of the best clubs in baseball this season, with an offense that's the envy of teams around the game, and their desire for a top-of-the-rotation-type arm is perhaps the most acute need of any team at this deadline."

Gore's price tag would be quite high for a few reasons. Still just 26 years old, the left-hander is under team control through the 2027 season. He avoided arbitration and will earn just $2,890,000 during the 2025 season, a bargain for one of the league's best young arms.

Through 112.2 innings, Gore has a 3.59 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with 38 walks and 140 strikeouts. Take away his last outing –– a 2.1-inning performance with eight earned runs –– and he had a 3.02 ERA through his first 19 starts, including 12 quality starts. He's tied for17th among all pitchers with 2.8 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.

It'll cost a lot to acquire Gore, but the Cubs may have the farm system to get it done. They have five top-100 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, including outfielder Owen Caissie (No. 39), catcher/first baseman Moises Ballesteros (No. 49), infielder Jefferson Rojas (No. 60), outfielder Kevin Alcantara (No. 82) and pitcher Jaxon Wiggins (No. 98).

If a deal were to come to fruition, it'd likely make for one of the most impactful trades this season.

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