The Texas Rangers recently acquired starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Washington Nationals. On Thursday, the Rangers officially announced Gore as a member of the team. Will he help Texas return to the postseason for the first time since the 2023 season?
The Rangers of course won the World Series in 2023. They have struggled to find success since that campaign, though. Texas is going all in on building a strong rotation, and Gore may be the difference-maker.
Rangers return to postseason
The American League features plenty of talent. The AL East is loaded with talent while the AL West has a number of intriguing ball clubs. Heading into 2026, the Seattle Mariners are probably the favorite to win the AL West. Counting the Houston Astros out is always risky, while even the Athletics could make some noise.
Whether it is via a division title or Wild Card spot, the Rangers should be able to make a postseason run in 2026 as long as injuries don't prove to be too much of an obstacle.
With Gore now in the rotation, Texas' starting pitching may be among the best in baseball (more on that later). Meanwhile, Corey Seager is set to lead a respectable offense that also includes Brandon Nimmo, Wyatt Langford and Joc Pederson. The Rangers' bullpen has some questions, but it could be impactful nonetheless.
It is not difficult to imagine this Rangers ball club winning 85 or more games, and that should put them in Wild Card contention at the very least.
MacKenzie Gore finishes top 5 in AL Cy Young voting
Gore, 26, was once a highly regarded prospect with the San Diego Padres. San Diego traded Gore to Washington as part of the Juan Soto-led deal. Gore has endured ups and downs in his big league career, but he did earn the first All-Star selection of his career in 2025. His final numbers were not exactly jaw-dropping — 4.17 ERA and a league leading 12 wild pitches — but Gore also displayed his immense potential.
The southpaw recorded a career-best mark of 185 strikeouts across 159.2 innings of work. He ranked in the 80th percentile in both whiff and strikeout percentage. There is reason to believe that Gore is on the verge of breaking out officially. 2025 gave us a glimpse of who he can be, and a fresh start may lead to MacKenzie Gore establishing himself as a legitimate ace in the big leagues.
Rangers' starting rotation finishes top 5 in ERA in AL
The Rangers' starting rotation has an opportunity to be really good in 2026. We already looked at Gore's outlook, but he is set to join a pitching staff that includes future Hall of Famer Jacob deGrom. Meanwhile, Nathan Eovaldi is still an extremely capable starter, while Jack Leiter features a high ceiling.
Texas could use another starter, but the overall rotation should be able to find success. Staying healthy will obviously be the goal, of course. While deGrom has dealt with injury trouble in the past, he was able to pitch in 30 starts last year. The Rangers would love it if he could replicate that feat. If MacKenzie Gore lives up to our prediction, then deGrom will also have less pressure to carry the rotation.
The future is bright for this Rangers squad.
