In an article yesterday by Jeff Passan of ESPN, he mentions MacKenzie Gore as a possible trade target for the Milwaukee Brewers, who, after winning a league-best 97 games and being eliminated from the NLCS last year, will be looking to make some additions to keep themselves in the hunt until 2026. The Brewers avoid spending big money on free agents like the plague, but fill out their roster with talent through their incredible player development and turning over their stars before hitting free agency reach for prospects.
One of their star pitchers soon to become a free agent is Freddy Peralta, who went 17-6 and posted a 2.70 ERA for the Brew Crew in 2025. The Brewers are expected to acquire Peralta this offseason as he is a free agent after the 2026 season, and if he is traded there will be a hole on their roster to fill on top of their rotation as Quinn Priester will then become their new ace.
With these facts in mind, let’s explore what a trade would look like that sends Gore, who has two more years under team control, to Milwaukee, giving the Nationals a boost to a farm system that currently lacks depth and giving the Brewers the asset they need even if Peralta remains with the club. Gore may not have the same value as he did at the trade deadline, but it’s not much lower, with a solid chance to land 2-3 valuable prospects for the Nats in a deal. Let’s see who those potential customers could be.
SS Jesus Made (#1, #4 in MLB Pipeline Top 100, Current Level: AA)
2B/SS Luis Pena (#2, #18 in MLB Pipeline Top 100, current grade: A+)
RHP Jacob Misiorowski (current level: MLB)
While the thought is certainly exciting, there is virtually zero chance that the Brewers would be willing to part with Made or Pena in a deal for Gore, or virtually anyone else. While their tool sets are very different, with Made being one of the purest hitters in the minor leagues and Pena being an absolute spark with his elite bat-to-ball skills and speed, they are both among the best players in all of baseball. Leodalis De Vries, who the Padres traded to the Athletics for Mason Miller, has similar potential hype as these two, and MacKenzie Gore is unfortunately no Mason Miller.
There might be a chance that Misiorowski could be moved for Gore in a 1-for-1, or close to 1-for-1, deal, but the odds of that are so low that it’s not worth thinking too much about it. After years of being on the radar for his erratic, yet underwhelming commands, Misiorowski exploded in his first few big league starts and even earned an invite to the All-Star Game.
Things started to crumble for him after hitters made some adjustments, however, as his ERA was above 6 after July. The stuff is still incredible and will play in whatever role he finds himself in, but the question remains if he can command the strike zone and limit hard contact enough to start, or if he is best suited in a relief role, where he could be an elite closer.
SS Cooper Pratt (#3, #56 in MLB Pipeline Top 100, current level: AA)
C Jeferson Quero (#4, #84 in MLB Pipeline Top 100, current level: AAA)
One of Pratt or Quero (or both?) is the best choice to be the lead candidate in a deal that sends MacKenzie Gore to Milwaukee. At age 20, Pratt posted a 108 wRC+ in 120 games this season, showing strong bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline, though his power hasn’t quite caught up yet. However, at 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, it seems likely that he will be able to utilize even more in the near future. Pratt is also a very strong defender at shortstop, rated 60 on his arm and can play in the field from MLB Pipeline. Pratt will likely need another year of development in the minors before he’s big-league ready, but if he is called up, he would be the best defenseman the Nats have had in a short time.
While Quero’s bat probably won’t be much better than all-time league average, he makes up for it by being one of the best defensive catchers in all of the minor leagues, carrying a grade of 70 and playing by MLB Pipeline. If you need an idea of how valuable a great defensive catcher can be, just look at Giants catcher Patrick Bailey, who posted just a 70 wRC+ in 135 games this season and still posted 3.2 fWAR.
The biggest issue hindering Quero and his development is injuries, as he missed all of 2024 with a shoulder injury and has yet to play more than 100 games in a minor league season. Maybe it’s just a spell of bad luck, but if not, headlining a package for your ace with a catcher who can’t stay on the field is a risky gamble. However, if they close the deal and are right about Quero, the Nats will have a franchise catcher that the pitching staff will enjoy pitching to for years to come.
RHP Logan Henderson (#5, current level: MLB)
RHP Bishop Letson (#7, Current Level: AA)
RHP Chad Patrick (current level: MLB)
LHP Robert Gasser (#18, current level: AAA)
There may not be an organization in baseball that is better at developing weapons than the Brewers, which is why they have an abundance of pitching depth from which to trade. In fact, they have so much depth that they can almost be greedy with it, sending Chad Patrick down midseason despite leading NL rookies in WAR and posting a mid-3s ERA. Patrick was older than most at 27, but looked sharp in his first year and would be an immediate boost to the Nats’ rotation if included in a Gore trade.
Henderson and Letson are the two best pitchers on the Brewers farm right now, and both excel at getting strikeouts with their heats that don’t have the most speed but compensate with elite moves. Letson is currently alone in Double A, but Henderson got his cup of coffee at the big league level in 2025 and he moved up to post a 1.78 ERA over 5 starts for the Brew Crew. The Nationals’ farm system features high-level weapons like Travis Jarlin Sykora and Susana, but lacks much strength or depth outside of that, and both Henderson and Letson could fill those needs for them.
Robert Gasser appeared poised to join the Brewers’ rotation entering the 2024 season, but a flexion injury, which would ultimately lead to Tommy John surgery, knocked him out for the entire year and much of 2025. The good news for the Brewers, and possibly the Nationals, is that Gasser looks sharper than ever in his return to the mound, posting a 2.25 ERA in 6 starts at Triple A and a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings in the majors. Gasser does everything you expect from a big league starter as he avoids hard contact, avoids free passes and gets a healthy amount of swing and miss, especially on his sweeping slider, his best pitch. While MLB Pipeline appears to be on Gasser after the injury, I’m certain the Brewers are not and would highly value him in any trade talks with the Nationals.
My Guilty Pleasure Outlook
1B/3B Andrew Fischer (#6, current level: A+)
1B Blake Burke (#29, current level: AA)
Two former Tennessee Volunteer first basemen who I would, selfishly, advocate for being included in any package that would send MacKenzie Gore to Milwaukee are Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke. Fischer and Burke are both left-handed hitters with thunder in their bats, and both have continued to slay minor league pitching just as they did SEC pitching in their collegiate years. While both seem likely destined to become first basemen in the pros, the Brewers are also testing Fischer at third base, a spot he played during his time at Ole Miss before playing only first base for the Volunteers. Wherever he stands defensively, Fischer’s bat will do the talking, as he posted a 141 wRC+ in 19 games at High A this season after being drafted 20th overall in July.
Burke, a 2024 second-round pick, has also made it into pro baseball coverage, with a combined 139 wRC+ between High A and Double A in 2025. The Brewers tested Burke a bit in the outfield after drafting him, but it’s clear he’s best suited at first base and DH at the higher levels, where he’ll really have to rely on his bat to provide value. Fischer and Burke are both headed to the big leagues thanks to their offensive performances, and both could fill the hole at first base that the Nationals have had for years.
SS Cooper Pratt (#3, #56 MLB Pipeline)
3B/1B Andrew Fischer (#6)
Based on everything the Brewers farm has to offer, here is a mock deal that is realistic and also fills a lot of holes in the Nationals farm system and roster. Keep in mind that the Brewers’ farm system is arguably the best in baseball, so acquiring their third-best prospect as the number one player in a deal still means acquiring a top 100 prospect in the sport. While it’s certainly possible to acquire Quero and Pratt in this potential transaction, I like the flexibility that just acquiring one example provides in the rest of the package. Between the two, I prefer Pratt, who is probably still two years away from the major leagues but is a great defender and has a better chance to develop his bat than Quero, who also carries much more injury risk at the moment. Pratt’s timeline also lines up quite nicely with CJ Abrams, who will either be extended and removed from shortstop or off the roster by the time Pratt is fully ready.
The 23-year-old Henderson is big-league ready and would fill the hole in the rotation left by Gore’s absence, where new pitching coach Simon Mathews could have fun tinkering with his impressive arsenal of pitches. The 21-year-old Fischer is likely at least a year away from the major leagues, but with the way he started his pro career, it could be even sooner before he takes over the starting duties in DC. The 26-year-old Gasser would also immediately step into a rotation spot, giving the Nationals even more capable starters than before the trade.
For the Brewers, the upside is that they get a pitcher with so much untapped potential in MacKenzie Gore, and they get him for at least two seasons. Led by one of the best pitching labs in the sport, don’t be surprised to see Gore make the leap from good to great in Milwaukee. While the Brewers aren’t the only club that will pursue Gore this season, they are one of the teams I want the Nats to do business with the most because of their incredibly deep farm system.
#Brewers #MacKenzie #Gore #heres #offer #Nats