The Washington Nationals’ new-look front office zeroed in on the Texas Rangers as a trade partner for left-hander MacKenzie Gore by leveraging shared scouting history and a willingness from Texas to part with recent draft capital.
The full terms of the deal were first reported by Jeff Passan on Thursday, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the Rangers were acquiring Gore in a five-for-one trade.
“The Texas Rangers are acquiring left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN. It's a 5-for-1 deal, with a handful of prospects heading back to the Nationals,” Passan wrote. He added that Washington received third baseman Gavin Fien, shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald, right-hander Alejandro Rosario, first baseman Abimelec Ortiz and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera, calling it “a big return for the Nationals” and noting that Fien was the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft.
Additional context surrounding Fien’s inclusion helped clarify how Washington identified Texas as the right fit. In a post reacting to the trade, ESPN Baseball Insider Kiley McDaniel wrote that the Boston Red Sox “were all over Fien in the draft,” but Texas selected him a few spots earlier. McDaniel added that the Red Sox scouting brain trust later moved to Washington and made Fien “the headliner in their biggest trade,” linking the Nationals’ internal evaluations directly to the Rangers’ prospect pool.
The Rangers’ motivation stemmed from a disappointing 2025 season, finishing 81–81 and missing the playoffs despite posting the best team ERA in the league. Texas opted to capitalize on its strong rotation by adding Gore, giving up five prospects, including its 2025 first-round pick, to do so.
For Washington, the move marked the second time Gore has been part of a blockbuster trade. He was previously acquired from the San Diego Padres in the 2022 Juan Soto deal. Gore debuted with San Diego that season and went on to make 89 starts for the Nationals over three seasons, posting a 4.15 ERA.
