Red Sox, Nationals Could Align On Trade For All-Star Pitcher, Per Insider

Will these two start doing more business?

May 12, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of the Washington Nationals logo on a weighted bat during the seventh inning of the game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images | Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals haven't had much to do with each other through the years, but perhaps that is set to change soon.

Just after the Red Sox left the nation's capital with a sweep in July, the Nationals fired longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo. His replacement, hired in September, is former Red Sox assistant general manager Paul Toboni, who was viewed as a potential GM hire for Boston this winter.

As the Nationals embark on another year of what has thus far been an excruciating rebuild, might there be a fit for the Red Sox to snag one of Toboni's new players via trade?

Insider thinks Red Sox could be fit for MacKenzie Gore

Tim Healey of The Boston Globe certainly thinks so. On Tuesday, Healey suggested that starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore could be a trade target for the Red Sox this winter, as he has only two years of team control remaining before heading to free agency.

"With former Red Sox assistant GM Paul Toboni now running the Nationals, is there a deal to be made?" Healey wondered.

"MacKenzie Gore is due to be a free agent after the 2027 season, probably before the Nationals are actually good again. Toboni, of course, would know what talent from the Sox farm system he would like to pluck."

Gore, 26, is the type of pitcher who fits better as a No. 2 on a good team than an ace on a bad team. In 30 starts this season, he pitched to a 4.17 ERA, but his 185 strikeouts in 159 1/3 innings, plus his 3.74 FIP, demonstrated that there was ace potential mixed in with some of his blow-up starts.

Because of his age, Gore also makes sense for an extension, as he's only a few months older than Garrett Crochet, who the Red Sox locked down through 2030 in March.

None of this is to suggest that a deal is already in the works; if it were, it would be outside the rules. But as a thought exercise, one can easily see why Toboni might want to deal with the Red Sox in particular.

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