Nationals Reportedly 'Listening' to MacKenzie Gore Trade Calls, Deal A 'Long Shot'

MacKenzie Gore is the type of trade target who could swing a division race down the stretch of the season, but the Washington Nationals are reportedly unlikely to move him ahead of the July 31 deadline.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Wednesday that Washington is "listening" to offers for Gore even though any such move is "a long shot."

The southpaw is just 26 years old and under team control through the 2027 season, so there is no significant urgency for the team to move him at this point. He can be a key foundational building block alongside James Wood for years to come.

The front office could also trade Gore in either of the next two seasons as well if things don't start to head in the right direction.

Still, this is a rebuilding club that sits in last place in the National League East and has a number of holes to fill. If a contender blows it away with an offer for Gore, it could change its tune and accelerate that rebuild with a number of key younger players and prospects.

Gore made the first All-Star Game of his career this season and has a 3.59 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 140 strikeouts in 112.2 innings. He has been even better than last year when he finished with a 3.90 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 181 strikeouts in 166.1 innings.

Teams that need starting pitching will surely continue to call the Nationals if they are listening, and Passan even listed him as the "best fit" for the Chicago Cubs. Chicago is tied for the best record in all of baseball but badly needs starting pitching with Justin Steele sidelined for the rest of the year.

Other starters such as Joe Ryan, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Mitch Keller could also be available for teams like the Cubs that need starting pitching, which doesn't give Washington as much leverage as it would have otherwise.

But that doesn't seem to be much of an issue since the front office is reportedly more likely to keep Gore than move him at this point.