The Texas Rangers agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Washington Nationals for MacKenzie Gore Thursday afternoon. A source confirmed news of the trade to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Both teams have yet to confirm the deal.
A Handful of Prospects Heading to D.C
The Nationals’ return package is headlined by shortstop Gavin Fien. He is the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 Draft and the Rangers’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, per MLB.com Insider Mark Feinsand. The other prospects heading to Washington are right-hander Alejandro Rosario, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, outfielder Yeremy Cabrera and first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz.
There were plenty of rumors surrounding MacKenzie Gore during the 2025 Trade Deadline. He had the appeal of being one of the top controllable starters. Gore is signed for the 2026 campaign for $5.6 million, and has one more year of arbitration after that.
No Stranger to Big Trades
MacKenzie Gore was the Nationals’ Opening Day starter for the first time in 2025, his fourth season and his third season in Washington after being acquired from the San Diego Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto blockbuster.
In 2026, Gore owned a 5–15 record with a 4.17 ERA in 30 starts during his age-26 season. He will turn 27 during spring training. Gore threw 159 2/3 innings. That was a slight dip from the previous season because of time on the injured list with a right ankle impingement and left shoulder inflammation.
One of Gore’s high points last season was when he set a Nationals record with 13 strikeouts. He did that on Opening Day against the Philadelphia Phillies. From there, he struck out a career-high 185 batters – good for fourth among National League lefties. He also ranked third in the NL, with a minimum of 150 innings, with 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings, up from a 9.8 rate the previous season.
Gore Likes Variety
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Gore’s five-pitch mix features a four-seamer, which averaged 95.3 mph last season, curveball, slider, changeup and cutter. He was the No. 3 overall pick by the Padres in the 2017 Draft out of Whiteville (N.C.) High School, and he was named the ‘17 Gatorade Player of the Year.
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