With the Winter Meetings fast approaching, the big question that looms for the Nationals is the fate of LHP MacKenzie Gore, and whether he will start the 2026 season in DC, or with another ball club. So
far, rumors have been kept to a minimum, with the possibility of a Gore trade still being about 50/50 according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post.
A while back, I explored what a potential MacKenzie Gore to Milwaukee trade would look like, with the Nats getting 2 top 100 prospects and 2 other solid prospects in return. While I may have overshot Gore’s value a little, something which just about every Brewers fan on Twitter let me hear about, I do think the headline of that package, SS Cooper Pratt and RHP Logan Henderson, was just about right: a backend top 50 prospect and a backend top 100 prospect.
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at another potential landing spot for MacKenzie Gore this offseason, this one a much shorter trip for him just up the Beltway. The Orioles have already gotten to work this winter building a playoff contender after a disappointing 2025 season in which they finished 75-87, last place in the AL East. While the addition of Taylor Ward in left field and Ryan Helsley in the bullpen are both strong moves, the reality for the Orioles is that to get where they want to go, the rotation needs to seriously improve.
While there are still some solid pitching options on the free agent market, such as Framber Valdez and Michael King, the Orioles may look to explore the trade market for their big fish this winter, as they may need to pocket some cash for when it’s time to offer big extensions to young core pieces such as Gunnar Henderson or Adley Rutschman. Let’s take a look at what the Orioles have to offer in terms of prospects when it comes to a MacKenzie Gore trade.
The Untouchables
C/1B Samuel Basallo (#2 in BAL, #7 in MLB)
2B Jackson Holliday
While Samuel Basallo would be a dream come true for the Nats, being able to immediately step in at either first base or catcher for them, and boasting maybe the best hit tool/power combination of any prospect in baseball, he likely is untouchable in the eyes of the Orioles, as they’ve had the opportunity for years now to move him for stud pitching and still have not.
While Holliday’s big league career hasn’t started quite as smoothly as most imagined, he showed significant strides at the plate in his second year and first full season, raising his wRC+ by 34 points, up to 96, and blasting 17 home runs. Still just 22 years old, it’s extremely hard to imagine a world where the Orioles move Holliday unless it’s for an ace better than Gore that they would have for multiple years.
The Likely Headliners
OF Dylan Beavers (#1 in BAL, #83 in MLB)
1B Coby Mayo
The issue with the Orioles as a match in a MacKenzie Gore trade is that they either have prospects too good to be traded for Gore, not good enough to be a headliner in a Gore trade, or if they are a fit, like outfielder Dylan Beaver is, they play a position already filled to the brim with young talent on the Nats. Beavers, the 2nd-ranked prospect in the Orioles system and the 83rd-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, showed great promise in his first cup of coffee at the big league level, posting a 125 wRC+ in 35 games.
Beavers is set to be the starting right fielder for the O’s in 2026, but with the addition of Taylor Ward moving Tyler O’Neill to the bench, they could afford to move Beavers for pitching, as they have someone to immediately take his place. The issue of Beavers as a headliner for the Nats is that there simply isn’t room in the outfield for all the talent they have, with James Wood, Dylan Crews, and Daylen Lile all locked into spots. Perhaps Beavers could take over RF and move Lile to DH, but it would seem unwise to relegate any of the young outfielders to a hitting-only role this young in their careers.
Coby Mayo, like Holliday, looked abysmal in his first big league stint in 2024, but made significant strides in year 2, posting a 95 wRC+ and hitting 11 home runs in 85 games. He’s continued to struggle with strikeouts in the majors, posting a 28.6% strikeout rate in 2025, but was able to tap into his power much more consistently, offsetting the issue at least somewhat. The 24-year-old Mayo has serious power potential, but also real bust risk because of the swing and miss, and the Orioles may be in a position where they would rather roll with the more sure thing, 1B Ryan Mountcastle, than the volatile Mayo.
The Packages Finishers
RHP Trey Gibson (#12 in BAL)
C/OF Ike Irish (#3 in BAL)
SS Wehiwa Aloy (#5 in BAL)
RHP Esteban Mejia (#7 in BAL)
LHP Boston Bateman (#9 in BAL)
C Caden Bodine (#10 in BAL)
With Beavers or Mayo as the headliner in a return for MacKenzie Gore, it still would require likely 2 or so prospects from this list to get a deal across the finish line. It’s hard to know what Toboni is targeting in Gore trade talks, but a mix of pitching and catching would be what I expect. On the pitching side, Gibson may seem out of place at the top of this list as the Orioles #12 ranked prospect, but in reality, he’s a borderline top 100 prospect on many publications (including 95th on my own list from back in August). His struggles in his short stint at Triple A to end the year prevent him from being in the headliner category, but Gibson has flashed mid-rotation upside and could debut as soon as 2026.
Esteban Mejia and Boston Bateman have one thing in common on the mound, and it’s that they have an intimidating presence and big-time potential. The 18-year-old Mejia stands at 6’3” and throws 102 MPH, immediately reminding me of how Jarlin Susana looked when the Nats first acquired him. Bateman, a second-round pick out of high school last year by the Padres who was traded to the Orioles at this year’s trade deadline, stands at 6’8” and attacks hitters with a gross fastball/slider combination. Neither is as close to the big leagues as Gibson is, but both have ceilings maybe just as high or higher.
As for the bats, Irish, Aloy, and Bodine were all taken in this year’s MLB Draft by the Orioles with their record-high bonus pool, and there’s a good chance one of them could join the Nats in a potential Gore to Baltimore trade. Irish is the highest rated of the trio, and could be a target for the Nationals if he is able to stick at catcher. Unfortunately, he is likely destined for a corner outfield spot, and he struggled at the plate in his first stint of professional baseball after the draft.
Aloy, the 2025 Golden Spikes winner in college baseball, looked sharp in his first pro ball stint, posting a 147 wRC+ in 20 games at Low A. He grades out as a solid defender at shortstop and has plus power potential, but his ability to limit strikeouts will determine how far he goes, as he struck out nearly 28% of the time in his time at Low A.
Bodine doesn’t have the offensive potential of the first 2, but he may be the most impressive defensively, grading as a plus defender behind the dish. He also wasn’t a slouch at the plate in college or his first chance in the minors, posting a 133 wRC+ in a short 11-game stint at Low A. What worries me about Bodine is that his best defensive skill in college was his framing ability, but with the ABS challenge system on the way to the major leagues, that skill is no longer as valued as it would have been. Still, Bodine could be a huge boost for an organization with a severe lack of catching talent.
Mock Trade 1
Orioles Receive:
LHP MacKenzie Gore
Nationals Receive:
OF Dylan Beavers (#2 in BAL, #63 in MLB)*
RHP Trey Gibson (#3 in BAL, #96 in MLB)*
C Caden Bodine (#10 in BAL)
Mock Trade 2
Orioles Receive:
LHP MacKenzie Gore
LHP Jose A. Ferrer
Nationals Receive:
1B Coby Mayo
RHP Trey Gibson (#3 in BAL, #96 in MLB)
RHP Esteban Mejia (#7 in BAL)
C Caden Bodine (#10 in BAL)
*MLB Top 100 Rankings for this portion via Just Baseball due to it being more recently updated than MLB Pipeline’s list
This time, I’m going with 2 mock trades, one with just Gore heading to Baltimore, and another with Jose A. Ferrer joining him on the trip. Ferrer has true closer potential and is close to unlocking it, but the Nationals are not at the point in the rebuild where they need to hoard good relievers, and the Orioles could use all the pitching help they can get.
If the Nats send only Gore in the deal, I think Dylan Beavers and Trey Gibson are the most likely package headliners. Beavers could slot into RF or DH for the Nats on Opening Day in 2026 and be an immediate lineup boost, while Gibson could be in the Nats rotation as soon as mid-2026. Bodine rounds out the deal as a defence-first catching prospect who would compete with Caleb Lomavita for the title of Nationals’ future catcher.
With Ferrer in the deal, I think the Nats could steal Mayo away from the Orioles, as they would be boosting both their rotation and bullpen and have a backup plan at first base to take his place. I think Gibson is a must in any Gore to Baltimore trade, and thus, he makes his way into this package as well. Bodine is in this deal as well for me, but the other new addition is Esteban Mejia, who I think has the potential to blossom into a top 100 prospect the same way Susana did after joining the Nationals.
While the Orioles aren’t my preferred destination for MacKenzie Gore, as I think some other farm systems stack up better for the Nats, I do believe they are one of the most likely landing spots for him. The talent the Orioles have to offer isn’t bad either, as Beavers and Mayo both could become middle of the lineup sluggers, and Gibson looks like a sure-fire mid-rotation starter to me. What we know for sure is that Gore’s future in DC is about to become much more clear at this years Winter Meetings.
