In an article yesterday by Jeff Passan of ESPN, he mentions MacKenzie Gore as a possible trade target for the Milwaukee Brewers, who, after winning a league-best 97 games last year and getting bounced
in the NLCS, will be looking to make some additions to keep themselves in the hunt entering 2026. The Brewers avoid spending big money on free agents like the plague, but supplement their roster with talent through their incredible player development and flipping their stars before they reach free agency for prospects.
One of their star pitchers due to be a free agent soon is Freddy Peralta, who went 17-6, posting a 2.70 ERA for the Brew Crew in 2025. The Brewers are expected to shop Peralta this offseason as he is a free agent after the 2026 season, and if he is traded, there will be a hole on their roster to fill atop their rotation, as Quinn Priester will then become their new ace.
So with these facts in mind, let’s explore what a trade would look like that sends Gore, who is under team control for 2 more years, to Milwaukee, giving the Nationals a boost to a farm system which lacks depth currently, and the Brewers the ace they need, even if Peralta stays with the club. Gore may not have the same value he had at the trade deadline, but it isn’t much lower, with a solid probability of fetching 2-3 high-value prospects for the Nats in a deal. Let’s take a look at who those prospects might be.
The Untouchables
SS Jesus Made (#1, #4 on MLB Pipeline Top 100, Current Level: AA)
2B/SS Luis Pena (#2, #18 on MLB Pipeline Top 100, Current Level: A+)
RHP Jacob Misiorowski (Current Level: MLB)
While the thought is certainly exciting, there is just about zero chance the Brewers would be willing to part with Made or Pena in a deal for Gore, or practically anyone, for that matter. While their toolsets are very different, with Made being one of the purest hitters in the minor leagues and Pena being an absolute sparkplug with his elite bat-to-ball skills and speed, they are both some of the best prospects in all of baseball. Leodalis De Vries, who was traded to the Athletics for Mason Miller by the Padres, has similar prospect hype to these two, and MacKenzie Gore is no Mason Miller, unfortunately.
A chance could perhaps be made that Misiorowski would be movable for Gore in a 1-for-1, or almost 1-for-1 deal, but the probability of it is so low it isn’t worth thinking too much about. After being on radars for years due to his freakish stuff but underwhelming command, Misiorowski exploded onto the big league scene in his first few starts, even earning himself an invitation to the All-Star Game.
Things began to crumble for him after hitters made some adjustments, however, as his ERA after July was above 6. The stuff is still incredible and will play in any role he finds himself in, but the question remains if he can control the strike zone and limit the hard contact enough to start, or if he is best suited for a relief role, where he could be an elite closer.
The Likely Headliners
SS Cooper Pratt (#3, #56 on MLB Pipeline Top 100, Current Level: AA)
C Jeferson Quero (#4, #84 on MLB Pipeline Top 100, Current Level: AAA)
One of Pratt or Quero (or both?) is the best bet at being the headline prospect in a deal that sends MacKenzie Gore to Milwaukee. At 20 years old, Pratt posted a 108 wRC+ in 120 games this season, showing strong bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline, although his power hasn’t quite caught up yet. Standing at 6’3”, 206 pounds, though, it seems likely he will be able to tap into more in the near future. Pratt is also a very strong defender at shortstop, receiving a grade of 60 on his arm and fielding from MLB Pipeline. Pratt needs likely one more year to develop in the minors before he is big league ready, but when he is called up, he would be the best defender the Nats have had at short in a great deal of years.
While Quero’s bat isn’t likely to be much better than league average ever, he makes up for it by being one of the best defending catchers in all of the minor leagues, receiving a 70 grade on his arm and fielding by MLB Pipeline. If you need an idea of how valuable a great defensive catcher can be, take a look at Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who only posted a 70 wRC+ in 135 games this season, and yet still put up 3.2 fWAR.
The major issue hampering Quero and his development is injuries, as he missed all of 2024 with a shoulder injury, and has yet to play over 100 games in a minor league season. Perhaps it’s just a spell of bad luck, but if it isn’t, headlining a package for your ace with a catcher who can’t stay on the field is a risky bet. If they made the deal and are right about Quero, however, the Nats will have a franchise catcher that pitching staffs will love pitching to for many years.
The Best Arms Available
RHP Logan Henderson (#5, Current Level: MLB)
RHP Bishop Letson (#7, Current Level: AA)
RHP Chad Patrick (Current Level: MLB)
LHP Robert Gasser (#18, Current Level: AAA)
There may not be an organization in baseball better at developing arms than the Brewers, and thus, they have a plethora of pitching depth that they can trade from. In fact, they have so much depth that they can almost be greedy with it, sending down Chad Patrick midseason despite leading NL rookies in WAR and posting a mid-3s ERA. Patrick was older than most as a prospect at 27 years old, but looked sharp in his first year and would be an immediate boost to the Nats’ rotation if he were included in a Gore trade.
Henderson and Letson are the top two pitching prospects on the Brewers farm currently, and both excel at getting strikeouts with their heaters that don’t have the most velocity, but make up for it with elite movement. Letson is only at Double A currently, but Henderson got his cup of coffee at the big league level in 2025 and he shoved, posting a 1.78 ERA over 5 starts for the Brew Crew. The Nationals’ farm system has high-level arms like Travis Jarlin Sykora and Susana in it, but lacks much strength or depth past that, and both Henderson and Letson would fill those needs for them.
Robert Gasser looked primed to join the Brewers’ rotation entering the 2024 season, but a flexor strain, which would eventually lead to Tommy John Surgery, knocked him out for the year and much of 2025 as well. The good news for the Brewers, and potentially the Nationals, is that Gasser looks sharp as ever in his return to the mound, posting a 2.25 ERA in 6 starts at Triple A and a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings in the majors. Gasser does everything you’d like a big league starter to do, as he avoids hard contact, avoids free passes, and gets a healthy amount of swing and miss, especially on his sweeping slider, his best pitch. While MLB Pipeline seems to be down on Gasser after the injury, I am sure the Brewers are not and would value him highly in any trade talks with the Nationals.
My Guilty Pleasure Prospects
1B/3B Andrew Fischer (#6, Current Level: A+)
1B Blake Burke (#29, Current Level: AA)
2 former Tennessee Volunteer first basemen who I, selfishly, would be rooting for to be in any package sending MacKenzie Gore to Milwaukee are Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke. Fischer and Burke are both left-handed hitters with thunder in their bats, and both have continued to smash minor league pitching just as they did SEC pitching in their collegiate years. While both seem likely destined to be first basemen in the pros, the Brewers are testing out Fischer at third base as well, a spot he played during his time at Ole Miss before playing first base only for the Volunteers. No matter where he is defensively, Fischer’s bat will do the talking, as he posted a 141 wRC+ in 19 games at High A this season after being drafted 20th overall in July.
Burke, a second-round pick in 2024, has torn the cover off the baseball in pro ball as well, posting a combined 139 wRC+ between High A and Double A in 2025. The Brewers tested Burke out a little in the outfield after drafting him, but it’s clear he is best suited for first base and DH at the higher levels, where he will really need to rely on his bat to provide value. Fischer and Burke both are fast-tracking themselves to the big leagues thanks to their offensive performances, and either one could fill the hole at first base the Nationals have had for years.
Mock Trade
Nationals Send:
LHP MacKenzie Gore
Brewers Send:
SS Cooper Pratt (#3, #56 MLB Pipeline)
RHP Logan Henderson (#4)
3B/1B Andrew Fischer (#6)
LHP Robert Gasser (#18)
Based on everything the Brewers farm has to offer, here is a mock deal that is realistic and also fills plenty of holes in the Nationals farm system and roster. Keep in mind, the Brewers’ farm system is perhaps the best in all of baseball, so acquiring their 3rd-best prospect as the number one player in a deal is still acquiring a top 100 prospect in the sport. While acquiring Quero and Pratt in this potential trade is certainly possible, I like the flexibility that only acquiring one provides in the rest of the package. Between the two, I prefer Pratt, who is likely still 2 years away from the big leagues, but is a great defender and has a better chance at developing his bat than Quero, who also carries much more injury risk currently. Pratt’s timeline also lines up very nicely with CJ Abrams, who will either be extended and moved off shortstop or off the roster by the time Pratt is fully ready.
The 23-year-old Henderson is big league ready and would fill the hole in the rotation left by Gore’s absence, where new pitching coach Simon Mathews could have fun tinkering with his impressive arsenal of pitches. The 21-year-old Fischer is likely at least one more year away from the big leagues, but with the way he hit to begin his pro career, it could be even sooner than that before he takes over first base duties in DC. The 26-year-old Gasser would also immediately step into a rotation spot, giving the Nationals even more capable starters than before the trade.
For the Brewers, the benefit is that they get a pitcher with so much untapped potential in MacKenzie Gore, and they get him for at least 2 seasons. Under the guidance of one of the best pitching labs in the sport, don’t be surprised to see Gore make the leap from good to great in Milwaukee. While the Brewers are not the only club that will be pursuing Gore this offseason, they are one of the teams I’d want the Nats to do business with the most due to their incredibly deep farm system.
