On Thursday afternoon, the Texas Rangers surprised the baseball world, striking a deal to land all-star starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals.

Texas sent a package of five prospects back to Washington, highlighted by 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien, who the Rangers selected 12th overall in last summer’s draft.

In addition to Fien, the Rangers sent right-hander Alejandro Rosario (TEX No. 6), first baseman Abimelec Ortiz (TEX No. 18), shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald (TEX No. 12), and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera (TEX No. 16) to complete the deal.

“Certainly, pitching has been a focus for us, and we feel like adding a talented pitcher at the level of MacKenzie makes us a really good pitching staff,” Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said.

Last season, Gore was named an all-star for the first time in his career after throwing 110.1 innings, posting a 3.02 ERA.

In the second half of the season, Gore struggled after dealing with some shoulder fatigue, but the Rangers feel confident that they and their medical staff can help keep him healthy for a full season.

Gore has two years of team control left and will make an estimated $4.7 million in 2026. There’s no doubt the Rangers knew of his contract status when making the move and certainly understand they will have to work out a deal to keep him in Arlington long term.

As for 2026, Gore will slot in behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi to create one of the best 1-2-3 punches in all of baseball.

Last season, the Rangers' starting rotation was the best in all of baseball, but after losing the likes of Tyler Mahle, Merrill Kelly, and Patrick Corbin, still in free agency, Texas needed to replenish the rotation.

Perhaps most notably, the move signals that the Rangers are looking to compete for a World Series championship in 2026.

Both Young and Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker echoed that sentiment on Thursday, both with the move and verbally.

Much of that will, of course hender on if the offense can bounce back and score enough runs to support the pitching staff.

Bounce-back seasons from the likes of Josh Jung, Jake Burger, Joc Pederson, and Evan Carter will be crucial to the Rangers' success in 2026.

Additionally, first-year manager Skip Schumaker will have to figure out how he wants to deploy his recently rebuilt bullpen.

However, it’s not hard to see the makings of a solid baseball team starting to form here in Arlington.

With another solid pitching season and a rebound from the offense, the Rangers could very well be competing to make the postseason for the first time since winning it all in 2023.

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