While landing Paul Skenes outright is nearly impossible, the Blue Jays and Ross Atkins could still snag a more affordable version this offseason. All this while, Tarik Skubal has been at the top of the list to command the biggest haul. However, there’s also the Washington Nationals’ $2.89 star who could help the Blue Jays retool their entire pitching rotation.

Longtime broadcaster and media personality Craig Borden recently laid out why the Blue Jays should target Nationals’ left-handed ace MacKenzie Gore.

“It sounds like the Nationals are actually legitimately shopping Mackenzie Gore. And with that happening, he becomes probably automatically one of the best pitching arms that you can get on the market. Obviously it’s going to cost you something, but this is getting discount Paul Skeens in many ways.” Borden said.

Further, he added, “Because Mackenzie Gore is, like I said, a hell of a player. Not linked to the Blue Jays at the moment, but I was just actually wanting to talk about this because it is just shocking to me that he is actually legitimately available.”

We saw the 2025 version of Gore striking out 185 batters over 159⅔ innings and making at least 30 starts for the second straight year. Since 2023, he has held a 10.1 K/9 rate. Not to forget, Gore is under club control for the next two seasons.

Gore took the mound 30 times this season. He finished with a 4.17 ERA snd while that’s not good on the surface, he did show flashes of the talent that once made him the third overall pick. His first half, in particular, was outstanding where we saw him log in 110⅓ innings with a 3.02 ERA and a 30.4% strikeout rate.

But things fell apart in the second half. He posted a 6.75 ERA over 11 starts after the All-Star break. Even his strikeout rate dropped by 10 points as hitters stopped chasing his curveball and slider.

Still, new Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has spoken with several clubs about Gore, but the price tag remains steep. The much awaited MLB Winter Meetings are right around the corner. Then, we will see if the blue jays will make another splash or not. If they don’t, the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles certainly will.

Mets, Orioles eye Blue Jays’ target ahead of winter meetings

Both the Orioles and Mets struggled on the mound in 2025, ranking 24th and 18th, respectively in starter ERA. They even fell short in strikeout numbers as well. After disappointing seasons, adding an All-Star-level arm like Gore could be a real difference-maker. That kind of move can instantly strengthen any rotation.

Per Olney, many front office staffers feel teams are more open than they’ve been in years to discussing all kinds of players.

For the Nationals, in particular, they finished at the bottom of the NL East in 2025. With young talents like James Wood and C.J. Abrams leading the way, a rebuild appears inevitable.

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With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Erik Beaston believes the All-Star Gore could end up with either the Orioles or the Mets this offseason. Ofcourse, the Blue Jays are also in the mix.

We’ve seen some interesting trades taking place this off-season. From Dylan Cease landing a $210 million deal with the Blue Jays to the Los Angeles Angels pulling off a blockbuster trade for Grayson Rodriguez.

Now, as ESPN’s Buster Olney sees it, next name expected to generate the same amount of buzz is Nationals’ left-hander MacKenzie Gore.