The Washington Nationals aren’t planning to trade away their young stars, interim GM Mike DeBartolo said recently.
That group supposedly includes James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews and MacKenzie Gore.
But there are those out there who still think Gore will be on the move.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer predicts that the Nats are going to trade Gore to the Boston Red Sox before the deadline.
Here’s the logic from Rymer:
As Gore is only 26 and controlled through 2027, the Nats might as well listen and see if anyone offers a boatload of talent that could help get their years-long rebuild back on the right track. And if any team should indulge them, it’s the Red Sox.
Whereas their offense has kept humming along even after the trade of Rafael Devers in June, the starting rotation just keeps getting thinner underneath staff ace Garrett Crochet. Kutter Crawford and Hunter Dobbins are already done for the year, and the same may prove to be true of Tanner Houck after his latest setback.
The Red Sox are contending despite this, and they would be wise to take the position that the World Series would be within reach if they scored a proper co-ace for Crochet. To this end, Gore is a perfect match on paper.
As to whether he would be worth parting with, say, a Marcelo Mayer, a Wilyer Abreu, a Kristian Campbell or a Payton Tolle, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow should heed his own advice: “I think we’ve talked a lot about looking to the future, at some point, the future has to be now.”
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There would be something to be said if the Nats could land Mayer, Abreu or Campbell, all rising stars.
The Nationals might prefer to hold onto the anchor of their rotation, but adding lengthy club control for a younger player has merit, too, given the timeline they’re on.
If the Nats move a younger player, Gore seems the most likely.
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