MLB Trade Rumors: 2 Teams Perfect Fits for Nationals' MacKenzie Gore

After a sizzling first half, it appeared that long-standing former elite prospect MacKenzie Gore was finally establishing himself as a big league ace. His 3.02 first-half ERA with a 138:35 strikeout to walk ratio in 110 innings had teams all around baseball salivating, wondering if they could pry him loose from the Washington Nationals. It even earned him an All-Star nod.

And while Gore came crashing to earth in the second half, with a 6.75 ERA in his final 11 starts, he remained a fairly hot topic on the rumor mill. The 26-year-old finished the season with a 4.17 ERA and 10.4 K/9, having at least flashed that upper-end of the rotation talent.

As we hit the offseason, his trade value is still high, and as noted by insider Jim Bowden, "He’s controllable for two more seasons, so the best time to trade him to maximize the return would be this offseason. It makes sense that his name is popping up everywhere." He was even named as one of the top 10 stars to be dealt this winter.

Here are the two teams that would be perfect fits for a Gore trade:

Nats could try to send MacKenzie Gore to the Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The new president of baseball operations for the Washington Nationals, Paul Toboni, was with the Red Sox for 10 years, and most recently served as Boston's senior vice president and assistant general manager. No one is more familiar with the Red Sox's prospect pool, and he may be able to secure a strong package in return for Gore. The BoSox are looking to fortify their rotation further this offseason.

A reunion with the Padres would make sense for a MacKenzie Gore trade

San Diego Padres

Gore was the Padres' top prospect in 2020 and 2021, and had a run of five years as a Top 5 prospect in the organization before he was shipped out to the Nats as one of the primo minor leaguers in the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in 2022.

Now that he's starting to find his footing in the big leagues, the Padres would likely love to have him back, to undo some of the damage done to their system in the Soto deal, and to get something out of the half-decade that they spent with him in their organization.

More importantly, with Dylan Cease, Michael King and Nestor Cortes all heading to free agency, the Friars will be looking to fill some holes in their rotation.