The Washington Nationals are trading left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers for five prospects, a league source confirmed to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Thursday.
Gore, 26, made 89 starts for the Nationals from 2023-25 after coming to Washington as part of the San Diego Padres’ blockbuster trade for Juan Soto in August of 2022.
Among the prospects the Nationals will receive is 2025 first-rounder Gavin Fien, an infielder out of Great Oak High in California. The Athletic’s Keith Law listed Fien as his No. 12 draft prospect before Texas selected him with the 12th pick.
Right-hander Alejandro Rosario (a 2023 fifth-rounder), infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald (the Rangers’ 2024 fifth-round pick), first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera are also part of the prospect package, sources told The Athletic’s Jim Bowden.
The New York Post was first to report news of the transaction.
Trade speculation has swirled regarding Gore throughout the winter. The Nationals, who overhauled their front office and player development department over the offseason, contemplated trading Gore for several reasons.
Capitalizing on a relatively thin free-agent market for starting pitching was one incentive. Gore, who is entering his age-27 season and has two years remaining before free agency, was due to make $5.6 million in his second year of arbitration, making him an affordable upgrade for mid-market teams looking to upgrade their rotation.
Gore posted a stellar first half last year en route to his first-career All-Star berth, logging a 3.02 ERA over 19 starts with a whopping 138 strikeouts. But various injuries caused him to struggle in the second half. Gore missed time with a shoulder issue in August before an ankle injury in September ended his season.
With the noticeable uptick in velocity and movement that Gore showed last year, those injuries didn’t detract much from his value entering the offseason. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni did not feel he needed to trade Gore, but as the Nationals face yet another rebuild, the first-time top executive was willing to do so if he could net significant controllable talent in a return. Landing five prospects certainly fits that mold.
In trading for Gore, the Rangers landed starting pitching talent their rotation desperately needed. A healthy Jacob deGrom posted 30 starts with a 2.97 ERA. Nathan Eovaldi was phenomenal last year with a career-best 1.73 ERA over 22 starts, but a right rotator cuff strain ended his season in August. Gore will likely slot in the middle of the rotation alongside Jack Leiter, giving Texas one of the more formidable groups of starters in the American League West.
