Texas Rangers make a major trade to acquire left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals, sending five prospects to bolster their rotation.

Chris Young, the Texas Rangers' Baseball Operations President, frequently repeats a saying that was unintentionally restated by pitcher Cody Bradford at a fan event on Tuesday Beijing time: "There’s no such thing as too many starters." Young has now put this philosophy into practice.

The Rangers officially announced today that they have acquired left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals, sending five promising players in return, including 2025 first-round draft pick Gavin Fien. This trade greatly strengthens the team's starting rotation depth but comes at a significant cost.

Trade Details

· Rangers receive: Left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore

· Nationals receive: Shortstop Gavin Fien (Rangers’ No. 2 prospect), right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario (No. 6), shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald (No. 12), outfielder Yeremy Cabrera (No. 16), and first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz (No. 18)

Gore will be under team control through the end of the 2027 season. The 2025 All-Star lefty started 30 games last season for the Nationals, who lost 96 games, posting a 5-15 record with a 4.17 ERA and striking out 159 batters over 159.2 innings. His performance showed clear fluctuations, with a 3.02 ERA over 110.1 innings before the All-Star break, but it soared to 6.75 in the 49.1 innings after.

This left-hander possesses a five-pitch arsenal including a fastball around 95 mph (about 153 km/h), curveball, slider, changeup, and cutter. However, his career has been plagued by a "second-half syndrome" (3.87 ERA first half, 4.91 second half). He will join the Rangers’ 2025 rotation, which led the league with a 3.41 ERA, alongside aces Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. The back end of the rotation to start the season is expected to be handled by two of Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker, and Jacob Latz.

This trade clearly signals the Rangers’ commitment to contending in the 2026 season. Since trading core player Marcus Semien, offseason rumors have circulated about a possible rebuild, but management has repeatedly emphasized maintaining competitiveness, even with a slightly reduced payroll. Trading a group of promising prospects for a young starting pitcher is undoubtedly the strongest statement of that stance.