Tigers should be lurking in trade shadows for polarizing Nationals All-Star

The Nationals have always been a team with exceptional young talent. Unfortunately, the organization has typically struggled to make the most out of it and after winning the World Series in 2019, they've placed last in the NL East in every year except 2024 when they placed fourth.

In short, it looks like they'll be sellers this offseason. They're already receiving plenty of interest in their star shortstop C.J. Abrams and although James Wood seems off limits for now, it wouldn't be totally surprising if the front office decided to take the nuclear route and sell him off, too.

Another one of Washington's highly sought-after trade pieces has an underwhelming statistical profile at first glance – but a closer look reveals that he may be exactly what the Detroit Tigers need this winter.

Along with Abrams, Mackenzie Gore is the other asset that is garnering the most interest. At first, it's hard to understand why. In 2025, he posted a 4.17 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP over 159.2 innings. He also led all of MLB in wild pitches (12) for the second season in a row. This hardly creates a compelling story for the 26-year old – but as with many things in baseball, there's far more than meets the eye with Gore.

The southpaw's whiff and strikeout rates are in the top quartile of qualified pitchers. Whiff rate is one of the most important leading indicators for a pitcher's future performance, and Gore has steadily climbed the MLB ranks and become one of the best at generating swinging strikes. This is largely due to his secondary pitches, particularly his slider (40.5% whiff rate) and changeup (47.2% whiff rate).

Speaking of secondaries, Gore's pitch arsenal is quite diverse and his slider was particularly effective, holding opposing batters to a .195 batting average and .305 slugging percentage. He did give up some hard contact on his changeup – which overshadowed the run value he generated from whiffs – and broader struggles with command had similar effects on his other pitches, but all of his weapons have potential.

The Nationals are reportedly fielding trade offers for MacKenzie Gore, potentially a major upgrade to the Tigers' rotation

With several years of team control remaining and an athletic prime that's still ahead of him, the right organization could push Gore to the next level. The Tigers could be that organization.

Others have already spoken highly of the pitching culture in Detroit and how it was a factor that pushed them to sign with the team. If you need more proof that they can develop up and coming pitchers, examples of talent developed mostly or entirely within the system include Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson, and Troy Melton. In addition to Skubal, Tyler Holton is another example of a southpaw who has had his best career years with the Tigers thus far.

So if Detroit did pursue Gore, what would they have to fix? Aside from having trouble locating pitches, his four-seam fastball is his biggest limiting factor. It was just about league average in velocity (95.3 mph) and induced vertical break (17 inches) and when combined with his tendency to leave it over the heart of the plate, it created a juicy opportunity for hitters to do significant damage. Skubal, who has the same movement profile on his fastball with more velocity, struggled immensely with the pitch in 2021 before making the necessary adjustments to turn it into one of his best pitches.

The Tigers have had a frustratingly quiet offseason, especially after a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Mariners in a closely contested ALDS. There should be a sense of urgency to build an improved roster and pursue winning baseball and if the front office won't throw money at the problem, the next best strategy is to make smart trades and forward-looking investments. If they get him at the right time, it might not cost too much in prospect equity but at the same time, the current market demand may force the club to decide how much they value the present over the future of the team.

Gore could be the perfect example of a pitching project for Detroit and if they manage to turn him into a Cy Young contender, he could be what they need to handle a potential future without their current ace.