One way or another, this could have major ramifications for the Chicago Cubs, who have pitching as their top priority this offseason. The team was reportedly a serious suitor for Dylan Cease and are now pivoting to Tatsuya Imai, but there are also several intriguing arms available in the trade market. Left-hander MacKenzie Gore was a popular Cubs target back in the summer and now the Washington Nationals All-Star is back in the rumor mill as he's reportedly expected to be traded soon with the Winter Meetings around the corner.
ESPN's Buster Olney ignited the Gore trade rumors on Friday, when he relayed some insight from front offices across the league. As a reminder, the Winter Meetings begin on Sunday and run through Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., where a flurry of activity should be ongoing. The national MLB reporter had strong language when detailing the rumblings surrounding Gore, pretty much implying that the Nationals will trade their ace in the next few days.
There is a perception in a couple of front offices that the Nats' Mackenzie Gore will definitely be among those moved in the days ahead.
-Buster Olney
As the trade deadline was approaching back in July, ESPN's Jesse Rogers reported that the rumored asking price for Gore at the time included Cubs' rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, while another report from the website Cubs Insider indicated teams, including the Nationals, were also eyeing Cade Horton and Owen Caissie in trade talks for controllable pitching.
As we know, the Cubs didn't budge and seeing as though none of the major starting pitching targets were dealt by any team, those rumored asking prices were too high for all the contenders. Circling back to Gore, you have to assume that the Nationals have to bring down their ask not only because Gore is a year older, but the left-hander's production significantly declined following the All-Star break and his season was cut short because of an ankle injury as well.
Maybe the ankle isn't all that worrisome, but Gore's track record of decline in the second half certainly is a cause for concern. Still, the 26-year-old is an elite talent with great strikeout numbers and Gore seems like the ideal candidate for a change of scenery guy who can become a star with help from the Cubs' pitch lab.
Yet, whether the Cubs do step up to the plate and get Gore or not, the potential trade by the Nationals could be the linchpin to an explosion of subsequent moves. Other teams will be able to negotiate off a Gore trade and there are a plethora of starting pitchers that could also be moved, including Joe Ryan and Edward Cabrera just to name a few.
A big trade early on in the Winter Meetings could also spur aggressiveness in the free agent market. Let's say the Cubs miss out on Gore, see that the price was still too big for their liking, which means other teams won't back down from their demands, then Jed Hoyer may act quickly to jump on a top-tier starting pitcher, which the team is reportedly more inclined to do this offseason.
So yeah, a Gore trade could 100% start a domino effect in Orlando if these front office execs turn out to be correct. No matter what, if the Nationals do trade Gore, the Cubs will be affected in some fashion.
And let's go into fantasy land for a minute. What if the Cubs do trade for Gore? They get their big arm for the rotation and Gore's under team control for two more years. MLBTR projects Gore's 2026 arb salary at $4.7 million. That's about $20 million less than what the project AAV will be for top free agent starting pitchers. So, if the Cubs save that much in acquiring Gore, will they then be even more aggressive for a guy like Alex Bregman, who they were interested last offseason and are reportedly interested in him again this offseason?
Getting Gore on the Cubs can open up so many other opportunities to upgrade the roster, but we'll have to wait and see. Still, Cubs fans should expect major activity this next week and Gore could kick off the flurry of big transactions.
