MacKenzie Gore trade could open door for Guardians to improve outfield

While the Guardians only play against the Washington Nationals once a year, the Nats’ have existed in the Guardians’ periphery for most of the offseason thanks to their assumed role as a seller while they look to pull themselves out of a rebuild. 

Perhaps the most logical trade target they have on their roster is shortstop CJ Abrams, who is extremely talented but seems to have worn out his welcome in D.C. due to some immaturity issues and inconsistent play. 

But it seems like he may not be the only Nationals player who is available in trade talks. 

Last week Washington announced their new era by trading starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers, which led to some reporting by the Washington Post’s Spencer Nusbaum, Andrew Golden and Chelsea Janes that said that the Nationals are shopping Abrams and outfielder Jacob Young. 

While we’ve already detailed why Abrams would be worth the trade risk, Young presents a bit of an interesting trade case for the Guardians given he could help them upgrade a clear area of need in center field. 

Trading for Jacob Young could help the Guardians upgrade center field 

Young has appeared in three MLB seasons after the Nationals drafted him in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft and has emerged as one of the game’s best defensive center fielders. He posted 14 Outs Above Average last year, and authored an incredible season in 2024 when he led all MLB outfielders with 20 OAA. 

He missed a little less than a month last season due to a sprained AC joint he sustained running into an outfield wall, but that didn’t stop him from making a variety of crazy catches during the season. 

The obvious red flag is that he’s not much of an offensive threat. He slashed just .231/.296/.287 last season and is a career .247 hitter with just five home runs. He provided some value with 33 steals in ‘24, but he stole just 15 bases last season while being caught a National League-leading 11 times. 

That kind of profile makes it seem like Young’s future is as a fourth outfielder. A top-tier fourth outfielder, but a fourth outfielder nonetheless, which puts a cap on the amount that the Guardians should be willing to give up for him, but he could still be a valuable piece on the Guardians’ roster.

It also helps that he’s not eligible for arbitration yet and won’t have a huge price tag once he gets there because he doesn’t have great counting stats. 

The Guardians are at a point where they should turn over every rock possible to try to upgrade their outfield, and Young is a controllable talent who would (at the very least) raise their outfield floor. 

Trading for Young isn’t as much of a no-brainer as signing Austin Hays, but it’s still a move the Guardians’ front office should consider doing.