The nationals sent the left MacKenzie Gore to Rangers in a package of five prospects, with announcements from both clubs. Five players are shortstops Gavin Fienthe right hand Alejandro Rosariofirst baseman/outfielder Abimelech Ortiza football player Devin Fitz-Gerald and foreign player Jeremy Cabrera. Gore and Ortiz are the only players with 40-man spots, so the deal takes 40 men and no corresponding move was required.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that Gore was headed to Texas. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first posted a five-and-one draft. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News first reported Fien’s installation. Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post first reported on Rosario. Grant then reported Ortiz and Fitz-Gerald, followed by Andrew Golden of The Washington Post who added Cabrera.
Gore, 27, has been one of the highlights of the trade this offseason. Back in early November, MLBTR’s list of top trade candidates for the winter had him at #1. That was due to Gore’s appeal as an up-and-coming player and the team’s status.
The Nationals have been stuck in a rebuild for a long time now. They won the World Series in 2019 but haven’t finished over .500 since. They trade players like Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber again Juan Soto in 2021 and 2022. There was hope that Washington might return to relevance now but the rebuild has stalled. Things dragged on in such a way that heads rolled. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez both were fired last season.
Paul Toboni, formerly an assistant general manager in Boston, was hired to replace Rizzo as front office leader. The expectation in this field is that he will find time to turn the ship around and put the Nats in contention, instead of having the pressure of trying to win quickly. Gore has just two years left in free agency, making him a candidate in those circumstances. As a client of Boras Corporation, a contract extension would likely be difficult to put together.
On top of all that, there’s Gore’s record and affordability. He was once the best prospect, selected third overall by the Padres in 2017. He was traded to the Nats as part of the aforementioned Soto trade. Gore hasn’t hit his stride yet, with a 4.19 earned run average in 532 1/3 innings. However, you are looking at the edge of the big breakout of the majority of 2025.
Last year, Gore made 19 appearances for the Nats through the All-Star break. He pitched 110 1/3 innings with a 3.02 ERA. His 7.7% walk rate was better than average and his 30.5% strikeout rate was quite strong. That strikeout rate was behind the four other professional hitters in baseball at the time. Tarik Skubal led the pack with 33.4%, followed by Zack Wheeler, Garrett Crochet again Hunter Brown.
Unfortunately, Gore couldn’t hold on to the landing. He went on the injured list at the end of August due to shoulder inflammation. He was reinstated about two weeks later but returned to IL in late September with a sprained right ankle. During those IL seasons, he threw 49 1/3 innings with a 6.75 ERA. That lowered his season-long ERA to 4.17.
Despite the poor finish, Gore remained a fascinating player. A strong run at the All-Star break showed his ceiling and it’s an impressive arsenal. He averaged over 95 miles per hour with his four-seamer last year while mixing a curveball, slider, cutter and changeup. He is also affordable. He is entering his second of three seasons in arbitration and will make $5.6MM this year. He will get another raise in 2027 before he hits free agency.
The first pitch trade market has been strong this winter. The Orioles sent four prospects and a draft pick to the Rays over three years Shane Baz. The Cubs have sent three players, including a prospect, to the Marlins for three years Edward Cabrera. Last night, the Mets sent their top two prospects to the Brewers for one year Freddy Peralta.
Gore’s record of success is not that far off from Peralta’s but Gore offers one more year of control. Baz and Cabrera have given up one more year compared to Gore but have never shown the same kind of ace up top and both have checkered injury histories. Given the difficulty of assessing the future effects of prospects, it is impossible to say which package will provide the most long-term value.
For the Rangers, it is understood that they would prefer a trade route instead of free agency this winter, as there have been signs that money is in short supply. The team and manager Bruce Bochy parted ways at the end of last year and the team’s lack of financial clarity has been cited as a factor in the split. Pitching coach Mike Maddux is visiting the Angels, an offer that may also be financially motivated.
According to this list, the Rangers traded for three years Marcus Semien to get five years Brandon NimmoNimmo makes less every year. Various reports in December revealed that the club could not even afford mid-market free agents JT Realmuto or Luis Arráez.
But improving the rotation was still on the to-do list. The club saw Merrill Kelly, Jon Gray, Patrick Corbin again Tyler Mahle it all comes down to free agency at the end of the season. They entered the winter with a strong one-two Jacob deGrom again Nathan Eovaldibut the decline after that. Jack Leiter he seemed to earn himself a job in the rotation with a 3.86 ERA last year but his strikeout and walk rates were only average. Jacob Latz he had a good season in the swing role but has yet to make a full major league start. Kumar Rocker he is one of the best but has not made it to the majors so far.
Gore improves the team quickly, especially if he can return to his first half performance in 2025. He joins the top three with deGrom and Eovaldi, knocks Leiter out of the running back position at the moment and maybe creates a competition for the fifth spot between Latz, Rocker and others. There is a cliff on the horizon as Eovaldi and Gore are both set for free agency after 2027. deGrom’s deal has a club option for 2028, with a value consistent with Cy Young voting and innings statistics, though he will be 40 by then. But for the next two years, the rotation has a strong third core.
In order to get that rotation upgrade while avoiding the free agent market, the Rangers had to part with a number of prospects. Fien seems to be the main one here. The Rangers recently took him 12th overall in the 2025 draft. They offered him a $4.8MM bonus to decommit from the University of Texas. At just 18 years old, turning 19 in March, he is a long-term fixture.
Baseball America ranks him as the #3 prospect in the Texas program. He gets high praise for his offense but big questions about his defense. Most scouts expect him to be moved to shortstop later, with third base or the outfield corners likely.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel writes that the Red Sox really wanted Fien in last year’s draft but didn’t pick him until 15th, three spots behind Texas. Toboni was in charge of Boston’s draft as an assistant general manager at the time. Now that he’s running his former office, he’s apparently made Fien a priority and used Gore as a way to get his guy.
Fitz-Gerald, Rosario and Cabrera are a few spots behind Fien on the BA list, coming in at #8, #13 and #14 respectively. Fitz-Gerald is a 20-year-old midfielder who was drafted in the fifth round in 2024. He appeared in 41 games between the Complex League and Single-A last year, hitting .302/.428/.482. A strain on his left shoulder prevented him from doing more work. It seems like you do a decent amount of things without a standout tool. BA projects a future as a versatile player with pop and speed.
Rosario, 24, was a fifth-round pick in 2023. He had a strong season in 2024, posting a 2.24 ERA between Single-A and High-A, but has been on the shelf since then. He missed 2025 with an elbow injury but recently had Tommy John surgery, so he will miss the entire 2026 season. His strong 2024 campaign made him a top-100 prospect, where BA will have him at #49 going into 2025, but he will be a long-term question mark after two completely missed seasons. He will be Rule 5 eligible this coming December.
Cabrera, 20, was an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He spent last year in Single-A with a solid walk and strikeout profile but only eight home runs. He is considered the strongest outfielder in the field and stole 43 bases last year.
Ortiz, 24 next month, has very little hope on this team but is the closest to touching the big league club. He split last year between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting 25 home runs and walking in 11.7% of his plate appearances. He had a combined line of .257/.356/.479 and a 124 wRC+. He was added to Texas’ 40-man roster a few months ago to avoid entering the Rule 5 draft.
While his numbers in the minors look good on the surface, he has a knack for chasing breaking balls. Analysts fear that will limit him from being the team’s bat in the majors. He’s also not a strong outfielder or baserunner, so he needs to hit to carry the profile. Washington has a wide open first/designate mix, so he can force his way in there when he hits. He also has three years of option and can be kept in the minors if he doesn’t perform.
More to come.
