It’s extremely clear that the Baltimore Orioles‘ top priority this offseason is to upgrade the pitching staff, particularly in the starting rotation.
The Orioles do have two strong options at the top of their rotation in Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, with both demonstrating tremendous upside last season and in 2023, respectively. However, both have dealt with injuries in recent years, with Bradish missing almost all of 2024 and most of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Rogers missing the first month of 2025 with a right knee injury. As such, it is imperative for Mike Elias to surround those two arms with quality depth.
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There are plenty of frontline starters available in free agency such as Framber Valdez, while the trade market features options like Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara, and Joe Ryan, along with the slim chance of Tarik Skubal. Another target Baltimore can consider, however, resides nearby in the nation’s capital.
Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore predicted to be traded to Orioles
In a November 28 article on Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter predicted that the Orioles would acquire Washington Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore in a blockbuster deal. In return, Baltimore would send left-handed starter Cade Povich, outfielder Dylan Beavers, and right-handed pitching prospects Esteban Mejia and Trey Gibson to Washington.
Gore, 26, is coming off his first career All-Star selection and has demonstrated impressive strikeout stuff. Last season was a tale of two halves for the southpaw, with a rock-solid 3.02 ERA and 2.96 FIP before the All-Star break, but a ghastly 6.75 ERA and 5.49 FIP in his last 11 starts of the year; he still struck out a career-high 185 batters in 159.2 innings thanks to a mid-90s fastball and a knee-buckling curveball and slider.
Most K/9 by a left-handed pitcher through their first four seasons (min. 500 IP):
1) Blake Snell (10.4)
2) Óliver Pérez (10.0)
T-2) MacKenzie Gore (10.0) 🔥
One of the top young starters could be on the move this offseason. pic.twitter.com/Uz1CYYVKqq
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) November 21, 2025
What makes Gore an especially attractive option for the Orioles is that he has yet to show the best version of himself; being only 26 years old and arbitration eligible until 2027 also gives him plenty of time to develop even further. Gore has also carried the expectation of being an ace with the Nationals, and perhaps slotting him into a rotation that already has two quality arms could take the pressure off him.
However, because of his status as Washington’s ace, the Nationals will demand a hefty return. While Povich looks like a No. 4 or 5 starter at best, Beavers is Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and has thrived upon being called up to the majors thanks to impressive knowledge of the strike zone (.375 on-base percentage in 137 plate appearances). Mejia is the Orioles’ top pitching prospect (No. 7 in their system) and is capable of throwing triple digits despite only being 18 years old, while Gibson (No. 12) is a nearly MLB-ready power arm who can possibly slot into either team’s bullpen.
My 10th pick in the #ToolshedMock Industry Prospect Draft:
10.13: SP Trey Gibson (BAL)
Gibson is one of the most underrated pitching prospects in the minors, coming off a 4.26 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 32.3 K%, and 8.6 BB% between AA and AAA
He has four above-average/plus offerings in… pic.twitter.com/oOmkFPnvE9
— Owen Hurd (@Owen_FBB) October 24, 2025
Giving up that much for Gore, who would likely slot behind Rogers and Bradish in the rotation, is a risky maneuver. But given Gore’s emerging upside, he could very well take over as the Orioles’ ace if the team develops him even further, and the two years of arbitration could allow Baltimore to pursue other needs (such as a closer) in free agency.
If the Orioles are truly serious about returning to contention in 2026, this may be the move they need to make.
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