they have several young promising position players, and next to no starting rotation (2025 team ERA 5.85). Gore, with 2 years of control left is the head of a group including Cade Cavalli (some are bullish), Josiah Gray (mostly bearish) and several Hail Marys and 6.00+ ERA inning eaters.

Maybe Gore has already made it clear he is not signing his first big contract in DC, no matter what. If that’s the case I guess you get whatever you can while he is healthy. But not trying to keep him seems like another step backwards.