Mets trade proposal brings All-Star starter to New York for top prospects

The New York Mets would need to part ways with a king's ransom of prospects to make this NL East trade a reality.

Jun 15, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) throws to the Miami Marlins during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

While the NL East division is shaping up to be a hotly contested race in the second half of the MLB season, the Washington Nationals are one team the New York Mets likely won't have to worry about.

This is because the Nationals have a 38-58 record heading into their July 19 contest against the San Diego Padres, which puts them in last place in the NL East. Given that Washington isn't in contention this year, they're expected to be sellers at the July 31 trade deadline, and have several standout players who should net them a big return in the trade market.

One of these standouts is left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore, who has posted a 3.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 110.1 innings (19 starts) so far in 2025, which was enough to earn him a trip to the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

MacKenzie Gore is the 1st pitcher to 100 Ks this season!

(MLB x @loanDepot) pic.twitter.com/ML8oQQ5Gia

— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2025

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer wrote a July 18 article where he lists top potential trade destinations for Gore, and concocted potential trade proposals to land him with those respected teams.

And Rymer's entry for the Mets is sure to turn heads.

"New York Mets get LHP MacKenzie Gore, RHP Kyle Finnegan; Washington Nationals get RHP Jonah Tong (Mets No. 1), RHP Nolan McLean (Mets No. 2), SS Jett Williams (Mets No. 3), OF Carson Benge (Mets No. 4)," Rymer wrote.

In assessing why this trade works for both teams, Rymer added, "Mets starters rank fourth in MLB with a 3.38 ERA, so another starter wouldn't seem to be a priority at the trade deadline.

"You can never have too much of a good thing, however... A trade for Gore would not only provide insurance, but also give the Mets a Game 2 starter to go after Kodai Senga. For his part, getting Finnegan as a throw-in would outfit the Mets' bullpen with the kind of high-leverage arm that is sorely needed.

For the first time in years, the MLB All-Stars will wear their team’s jersey in the game.

Mackenzie Gore looking good in a Nats home jersey walking on to the field here. pic.twitter.com/LC1Wc1fDbX

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 15, 2025

"As for the Nats, the appeal of this trade is simple: They would get to fleece a division rival of all four of its best prospects," he said.

Rymer then noted why this trade wouldn't work by saying, "Of course, that last point doesn't make this an ideal trade from the Mets' perspective. Even if it meant a chance to win the World Series, they'd surely rather not risk getting burned by so many quality prospects becoming an intra-division headache."

While adding Gore and Finnegan to New York's roster would immediately bolster their chances of winning a World Series this season, trading away Tong, McLean, Williams, and Benge in return is frankly ridiculous, and is not something David Stearns would consider doing.