"Taking one look around the league... What is every team desperate for? From the A's to the regining back-to-back World Series Champion Dodgers, everyone is looking for starting pitching. So what does Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni do with the most valuable trade piece he has at the helm of a team itching to take the next step in a rebuild? Absolutely nothing. Sitting on his hands."
"It has become time to call this for what it truly is: If the Nats don't trade MacKenzie Gore now, they are without a doubt committing one of the greatest acts of managerial malpractice this franchise will ever see. Gore, a 26-year-old lefty with 185 strikeouts and two years of arbitration left, isn't just a backend rotation piece, he has frontline ace stuff. By refusing to move him now, the Nationals aren't being cautious, they're being reckless."
"In this market, Gore's value will never be higher. Contenders and teams desperate to bolster starting rotations are scavenging for whatever they can find. Free agent prices are astronomical, and the trade market for young arms is few and far between. At this moment, Toboni could demand an absolute haul of prospects and major league talent. If the Nats are choosing to wait and see in 2026, they are putting the house on three massive risks."
MacKenzie Gore is a 26-year-old left-handed starter with 185 strikeouts and two years of arbitration who possesses frontline ace characteristics despite recent inconsistency. Starting-pitching demand is acute across the league, free-agent costs are inflated, and tradable young arms are scarce, creating a peak market opportunity. Waiting exposes the team to injury recurrence, further performance decline, and squandered months of club-controlled seasons that contenders seek. Reliance on a single pitcher to anchor a future roster alongside top position prospects is unrealistic given the transactional value contenders pay for multi-year control.
Read at District on Deck
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