Breaking MLB Trade: Huge 5-for-1 Deal Sends MacKenzie Gore to the AL

The young starter has been one of the most prominent pitching trade targets of the offseason. Now MacKenzie Gore has finally been traded by the Washington Nationals to the Texas Rangers.

Rangers land Mackenzie Gore in a trade pic.twitter.com/0sRm5NibqT
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) January 22, 2026

It's a big five-prospect package that the Nats land in return. Ironically, Gore was on the other end of such a trade when he came to D.C. with several other prospects in exchange for Juan Soto back in 2022.

Third base prospect Gavin Fien, the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft, is said to be the headliner coming back to Washington. The 18-year-old was the Rangers' No. 2 prospect. Others heading to the Nats in the deal include Alejandro Rosario (Rangers' No. 6 prospect), Devin Fitz-Gerald (No. 12), Abimelec Ortiz (No. 18), and Yeremy Cabrera (#16).

Gore, the left-hander, has put up solid, underlying metrics the past two seasons as he's grown and is slowly maturing into the top of the rotation arm he was projected to be while a prospect with the San Diego Padres.

In 2025, Gore posted an All-Star first half with a 3.02 ERA and 11.3 K/9. He slumped in the second half pretty badly to a 6.75 ERA, but finished the season overall at a 4.17 ERA with 185 strikeouts in 159.2 innings.

He'll now join a Texas rotation that also includes Jacob deGrom, Nate Eovaldi, and Jack Leiter.