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MacKenzie Gore, SP Position: SP B/T: L/L Age: 26 (02/24/1999) 2025 Traditional Stats: 30 G, 30 GS, 159.2 IP, 5-15, 4.17 ERA, 1.353 WHIP, 185 SO, 64 BB 2025 Advanced Stats: 98 ERA+, 4.33 xERA, 3.74 FIP, 3.78 xFIP, 27.2% SO%, 9.4% BB%, 2.9 fWAR RUNDOWN Coming into this offseason, it was clear the New York Mets had a glaring need at the top of their rotation. Nolan McLean is on a path towards stardom, but he’s only eight starts into his big league career. The Mets need an ace to pair with him, and luckily, options exist in both free agency and the trade market. Would Framber Valdez be open to a short-term, high AAV deal? If so, the Mets are a viable destination for him. The trade market provides them with more options. One of whom is Washington Nationals starter MacKenzie Gore, whom they have faced quite a bit over the last three years (eight times to be exact). The talent to be a top-end arm has always been there for him. Gore was taken third overall in the 2017 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, rising quickly to become one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Yet, his path to a defined role at the big league level wasn’t straightforward. Gore made his debut for the Padres in April 2022. But after just 16 appearances and 13 starts, they sent him to D.C. in a blockbuster deal for superstar outfielder Juan Soto. Gore has had stretches where he has looked like an elite pitcher, most recently at the beginning of the 2025 season. In the first half, he pitched to a 3.02 ERA in 110 1/3 innings. Gore had 12 quality starts over that stretch, and his 11.3 strikeouts per nine were well above his career average at that point. He was in the midst of a breakout campaign, good enough to be named an All-Star for the first time in his career. But after the break, things went south. To open the second half, he gave up a season-high eight earned runs against his former team. Following that outing, he pitched to a 3.74 ERA over his final seven starts. But his performance levels took a big hit after the All-Star break. As the season progressed, his strikeouts went down, and teams started to hit a few home runs against him. It appeared as if Gore ran out of gas over the final month or two. For 2025, he ranked in the 80th percentile for whiff rate and strikeout percentage. But from a worrisome point of view, he ranked in the 20th percentile for hard-hit rate percentage, 19th percentile for average exit velocity against and the 14th percentile for barrel percentage. Gore has the stuff to strike anyone out, but when things are not working, opponents are either unloading against him or drawing walks. Not a good combination. For him to reach the next level, he needs to be more consistent across those metrics. PACKAGE Gore has two years of control remaining on his contract, making him an enticing trade target. With a league-wide lockout potentially looming in 2027, the assumption is that the Nationals will move him this offseason to receive the best package possible. The price for Gore might be higher because the Mets are in the same division as the Nationals. However, the Marlins nabbed baseball’s 47th-best prospect (Owen Caissie) as the headline return for Edward Cabrera. Simply put, the price for Gore will be high. METS RECEIEVE LHP MacKenzie Gore NATIONALS RECEIVE RHP Brandon Sproat (Mets’ No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline) IF Jacob Reimer (Mets’ No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline) OF Nick Morabito (Mets’ No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline) The additional year of control means the package needs to be a bit more to get Gore. Sproat would immediately be a part of the Nationals’ rotation, allowing him to break out in 2026. Reimer would be another great get for Washington, and Morabito could be a factor in the big leagues, potentially in 2027. It’s a significant package, but that will be required if the Mets want to acquire a starter from an in-division rival. RECOMMENDATION With a qualifying offer attached to Valdez, I don’t envision a scenario in which…

Good morning, Mets fans! What is your favorite GKR memory? MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan posed four questions for the Mets in the wake of the Bo Bichette signing: How will Bichette handle third base? What happens to Brett Baty? What about the outfield? What about the rotation? My best guesses are: Bichette will be fine at third, Baty will find 400 at-bats between the infield, outfield and DH, the Mets will add a veteran not named Cody Bellinger in anticipation of Carson Benge being the long-term answer in left field and a starter not named Framber Valdez in anticipation of Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat joining the rotation. (Note: My track record on predicting things is awful.) The real answers will come soon enough. The Mets’ spring training opener is Feb. 21 vs. the Marlins. Opening Day is March 26 vs. the Pirates. Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Latest Mets News Will Sammon of The Athletic believes the Mets prefer to sign Bellinger to a short-term, high annual salary deal. The outfielder and the Yankees are reportedly at a stalemate, with Bellinger looking for a seven-year contract and the Yanks offering five for as much as $160 million. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic learned from a league source that the Yanks are willing to include opt outs after Years 2 and 3. Other outfielders the Mets could look at if they don’t sign Bellinger include free agent Harrison Bader, Lars Nootbaar of the Cardinals, Jake Meyers of the Astros and Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, league sources told Sammon. Jarren Duran is another trade option, though Sammon said rival execs think Boston may hold on to him. The Mets, sources told Sammon, are expected to add pitching. Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, the Royals’ Kris Bubic and the Nationals’ MacKenzie Gore are possibilities, though the last two are long shots. Travis Sawchik of MLB.com went deep on where the best fit for the free agent lefty Valdez would be among the four teams most connected to him: the Mets, Orioles, Giants and Cubs. He looked at infield defense (edge: Cubs), which division had the most left-handed batters (edge: Orioles), ballpark (a push) and who has the weakest rotation projection per FanGraphs (“edge” to the Giants). Sawchik’s conclusion: He would fit best in Baltimore. Gabe Lacques of USA Today took a look at the winners and losers of the Bichette signing. The winners: Bichette, the Mets, the A.L. East (Toronto losing Bichette gives more hope to their division rivals) and J.T. Realmuto (re-signed by the Phillies after Bichette came to New York). The losers: Baty and Mark Vientos (Bichette’s arrival signals reduced playing time for both), the Blue Jays, Bellinger (he may have lost some leverage with the Yankees) and the Braves (a Bichette suitor at the start of the offseason). Latest MLB News A tough break for the Braves. Infielder Ha-Seong Kim suffered a hand injury in Korea and underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger, the team announced. Expected recovery time is four to five months. Atlanta signed Kim to a one-year, $20 million contract last month. Free agent reliever Jakob Junis and the Rangers agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Nationals and right-hander Cade Cavalli avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year, $870,000 contract. The deal includes a 2027 team option for $4 million with a $7,500 buyout. The club and Cavalli were $75,000 apart ($900,000 vs. $825,000) when they exchanged proposed salaries on Jan. 8, the smallest difference among the 18 players who couldn’t reach deals with their teams. Arbitration cases are scheduled to be heard from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The most notable case is Tarik Skubal, who asked for $32 million and was offered $19 million by the Tigers. Latest on MMO John Wilson takes a look at the drastic difference in Francisco Alvarez‘s 2025 before and after he was sent to the minors. Christian De Block has a trade profile on Brendan Donovan, who he thinks could fit…

Adapté d’un roman à succès, le film d’Olivier Assayas explore les coulisses du pouvoir russe à travers le destin d’un stratège de l’ombre. Un récit politique entre fiction et réalité, sur les mécanismes invisibles de l’influence.

D'après une étude publiée par Microsoft, la France se classe dans le top 5 des pays les plus friands d'intelligence artificielle.