The San Diego Padres apparently could have traded for former top prospect starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals at the 2025 trade deadline.
Gore was reportedly made available by the Nationals ahead of the deadline. However, it appears San Diego balked at Washington's asking price. That may have been a good thing. AJ Preller is a GM known for making big, bold trades at the deadline. This time, his bold move might have been showing restraint and not making the biggest move.
Padres right to walk away from Nationals’ steep MacKenzie Gore trade talks
Of course, he did trade a huge prospect package to the Athletics for closer Mason Miller, but the price for Gore would have been even higher.