The Baltimore Orioles missed out on Dylan Cease, who they were projected to be a potential suitor for. Now, they need to go into the offseason looking for another top starter to put at the front of their rotation.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter believes that they need not look far, as he believes a trade with their Beltway Series rivals, the Washington Nationals, for their ace, All-Star Mackenzie Gore.
The trade would look like this:
Orioles get: LHP MacKenzie Gore
Nationals get: LHP Cade Povich, OF Dylan Beavers, RHP Esteban Mejia, RHP Trey Gibson
“The Orioles have a clear need to add a third quality arm atop the rotation alongside Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, and he would slot in nicely as a multi-year option who still has some untapped upside,” Reuter wrote.
This past season, Gore posted a 4.17 ERA, 185 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.353 over 195 innings pitched. While his numbers seem high, it was due to a cold streak, as at the All-Star Break, Gore had a 3.02 ERA with 138 Ks in 19 starts.
If the O’s really believe Gore will leap this next year, getting him now is the right move. They’ll have him for cheap for a couple more years, and they could re-sign him if he does that well. Hopefully, they get negotiations started soon, as many other contenders may be willing to take the chance on Gore as well.
MORE MLB NEWS