Phillies Explore Trade Interest in Nationals Lefty MacKenzie Gore

According to NatsTalk.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have reached out to the Washington Nationals about left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore, a move that signals Dave Dombrowski may already be poking around the second-tier pitching market before things fully heat up.

Gore, 26, is coming off a rough statistical line in 2025 — a 5–15 record, 4.17 ERA, and 1.35 WHIP with the lowly Nationals — but the Phillies don’t seem overly concerned with the win–loss column. Gore still flashes high-end stuff, innings-eating potential, and the kind of upside teams talk themselves into when they think they can “fix” a talented arm.

A Promising Prospect

Gore was selected third overall in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Whiteville High School (Whiteville, North Carolina), after a dominant high-school career that included a senior season with a 0.19 ERA, 158 strikeouts in 74.1 innings, and just five walks. From the start, he carried the reputation of one of the most advanced high-school pitchers in recent memory, a left-hander with projectable size (6’2”) and a full arsenal that had scouts salivating.

As a minor leaguer, Gore rose quickly. He spent multiple years ranked among the top prospects in all of baseball, at his peak even cracking the upper tier of the farm-system elite.

Gore made his major-league debut on April 15, 2022, with the San Diego Padres — 5.1 innings, two earned runs allowed, and three strikeouts.

Traded to DC

In August 2022, Gore was traded to the Washington Nationals as part of the package that sent Juan Soto to San Diego.

With Washington, he got regular rotation work. In 2023 he made 27 starts with 136.1 innings and posted 151 strikeouts, operating with a 4.42 ERA and showing the flashes of upside that made him a top prospect.

In 2024, he took another step forward: 32 starts, 166.1 innings, and a 3.90 ERA, his best full season so far and a sign that the “stuff and experience” combination might be beginning to click.

Over his MLB career (through 2025), Gore has amassed 532.1 innings pitched, 589 strikeouts, a 4.19 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

Low Risk, High Reward

In short, Gore isn’t just someone whose name carries weight because of what he once was—his pedigree, pitch arsenal, and developmental track record still matter. And much like last offseason’s steal in Jesús Luzardo, there’s a realistic scenario where Gore becomes a buy-low success story for a contender. If the Phillies were able to acquire him without surrendering significant resources, Gore could pay off as a cost-controlled, upside-rotation piece whose best baseball may still be ahead.