Left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore has become the No. 1 target for the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, but there’s a reason ESPN is putting a 10% chance of the Washington Nationals actually trading him this week. The Cubs may have several intriguing prospects to offer, but fans will wince once they realize what the asking price is for the 26-year-old All-Star.

ESPN has been releasing updates on the latest news and rumors leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline and now that Gore’s name has emerged as a potential target fans are locked into what it could take to get him. Well, forget about top-rated Cubs prospect Owen Caissie or rising pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel the Nationals are rumored to be asking for the red-hot rookie hitter on the Cubs.

MacKenzie Gore cost includes Matt Shaw

Cubs fans went into a frenzy over the potential of adding Gore at the trade deadline ever since Jeff Passan named the left-handed pitcher as the best fit for them.

Gore, 26, is under contract through the 2027 season as he has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining. He was part of the Juan Soto trade between the Nationals and San Diego Padres in 2022, and has been a strikeout machine for the past three seasons. Gore has taken his game to the next level this year, posting a 29.3 K% in 21 starts with a 3.52 ERA in 117.2 innings.

Prior to a recent blowup against the Padres in July, Gore had a 3.02 ERA with 118 strikeouts in his first 19 starts of the season.

So, what would the Cubs have to give up for the talented starter? Apparently it begins with Matt Shaw.

Via ESPN.

Jesse Rogers noted below (July 24 update) that the Chicago Cubs are looking to add a starting pitcher with years of control and would consider including a young position player, though hopefully not a top prospect, to make that happen. MacKenzie Gore is one of those targets, and the key player the Washington Nationals are rumored to want in a return package is Matt Shaw, who isn’t yet on the table and graduated from prospect status this season with 71 MLB games.

And that final line is the key to this rumor surrounding Gore. The Cubs aren’t trading away Shaw and if that’s the asking price, then the Nationals are simply going to hold on to Gore because other teams are also not likely to pay up. They’re under no pressure to trade Gore this summer and if they do deal him away it’ll be because a team will blow them away with a trade package.

It’s just so rare that you’ll see talented starting pitchers who are also cost-controlled via arbitration being traded away.

We’re also seeing trade rumors heating up all around the league surrounding the Cubs’ plans to add pitching. There’s no doubt that there’s some negotiating through the media going on right now as front offices try to gain as much leverage as possible.

As for Shaw, how great has he been since the break, huh? The third baseman extended his hit-streak to nine games on Sunday with an RBI-double in a 5-4 win over the White Sox. Shaw has been on fire at the plate, going 12-for-27, with four HR and two doubles since the All-Star break. He’s been much more aggressive, pulling the ball in the air and Shaw’s been rewarded by slugging more than he ever has during his rookie year.

You don’t need me saying this, but Shaw is off the table in trade talks. I mean, unless Paul Skenes suddenly becomes available.