The Washington Nationals have reportedly agreed to a deal to trade starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore in exchange for five prospects.
After months of speculation and rumors, the Washington Nationals have reportedly agreed to a deal to trade starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the news with the Nationals reportedly agreeing to a 5-for-1 deal.
In exchange for Gore, the Washington Nationals will receive shortstop Gavin Fien, right handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario, OF/1B Abimelec Ortiz, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera.
Fien is the headliner as he checks in as the second-best prospect in the Rangers' farm system, giving the Nationals juice at the position after drafting Elli Willits with the top overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Fien was selected 11 picks after Willits, giving the Nationals another young star in the infield.
Rosario also checks in at sixth overall and the fourth-best pitching prospect in the Rangers farm system with the rest all inside the top 20 of the organization's rankings with Fitz-Gerald ranked 12th, Cabrera ranked 16th and Ortiz ranked 18th.
The return marks the next wave for the Nationals in a move that provides much-needed clarity ahead of Opening Day.
Gore's tenure ends after being linked to teams throughout the offseason, most recently the New York Yankees after the team reportedly "had discussions" two weeks prior. The New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles were also reportedly linked to the Nationals star earlier this month after president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was transparent about the wide-ranging interest in the previously expected Opening Day starter.
After a 4-4 finish and posting a 4.5 ERA in Gore's tenure with the Washington Nationals began after being part of the Juan Soto trade package midway through the 2022 season, a deal that proved to be the building block for the next era for the organization with outfielder James Wood, pitcher Jarlin Susana and shortstop CJ Abrams also arriving in D.C.
Gore went 22-37 over his three seasons with the organization and finished with a career-best 3.9 ERA in 2024, but it was the first half of the 2025 season that cemented his status and elevated his national profile. His 13 strikeouts on Opening Day marked a franchise record in a season-opener while ranking third among NL pitchers with 131 strikeouts in 18 starts, including five games with nine or more, to earn his first All-Star game appearance in 2025. But he cooled off over the second half of the season after finishing 5-15 overall with a 4.17 ERA while nearly matching his career-high with 64 walks on the season.
While the haul adds optimism to the future of the organization with new leadership looking to invest heavily into development, it adds questions to what the 2026 season looks like with a question as to who the Nationals' Opening Day starter is likely to be. Still, the MacKenzie Gore chapter is officially closed.