It has been two weeks since the Nationals sent shockwaves through the organization by firing longtime president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez. The timing of the shake-up (a week before the draft and within a month of the trade deadline) caught many by surprise, though it looks like the change in leadership wont lead to any major changes in direction for the clubs deadline plans. Interim GM Mike DeBartolo told and other reporters on Saturday that the Nats want to build around such players as , , , and , rather than shop them at the deadline. Im looking to keep the young, core group of our best players together , DeBartolo said. Certainly [with] my job, if someone calls, you always listen to what they have to say. But trading away our really high-quality young players is not something Im looking to do Michael Conforto Jersey right now . DeBartolo made a point of including Gore within that group in terms of our young, really talented players , noting that its not a focus of mine to move him . Gore is both slightly older (26) and closer to free agency than the other members of the core, as Gore has two more arbitration-eligible years remaining before hitting the open market after the 2027 season. Because of this timeline and the fact that Gore is represented by Scott Boras, there has been speculation that the Nationals could shop Gore if they feel they wont be able to sign the southpaw to a long-term extension. Selling high on Gore while he is in the midst of a career year would likely bring a big return back to Washington, as Gore would instantly become perhaps the most sought-after player at the deadline. On the other hand, as Golden writes, moving out Gore also would send the me sage that the Nationals are taking a step back and arent ready to contend in the near future. [ Related: , for MLBTR Front Office subscribers] The same logic applies to an even greater extent to Abrams (controlled through 2028) and Wood and Crews (each controlled through 2030). Trading from this group would be tantamount to restarting the rebuild altogether, which doesnt seem feasible for a team that already hasnt had a winning season since 2019. Though DeBartolo has been with the organization since 2012, it also doesnt appear likely that an interim GM would make the call to deal a building block player, as such a major decision would likely be saved for whomever the Nationals eventually name as the new full-time head of baseball operations. My goal in this role, whether its interim or otherwise, is to build a competitive team every year , DeBartolo said. As frustrating as it is to see where we are this year, my goal is to build future competitive teams and be in that playoff mix. So thats what my focus is over the next few weeks whatever we can do to bolster the future outlook of the Nationals and get in that playoff race as soon as we can . This focus likely means that the Nationals will be looking to move shorter-term players who arent part of that longer-term future. Unsurprisingly, the Nats have made impending free agents , , , and available in trade talks, writes, and first baseman (who is arb-controlled through 2026) is also within that group of trade chips. Finnegan and Soroka will likely garner the most attention given how many contenders need pitching help, and the Nats figure to be a team to watch as one of the few teams in full-fledged sell mode. Thairo Estrada Jersey