MacKenzie Gore, the former top-of-the-line starter for the Washington Nationals, is now on a new team, the Texas Rangers, adding to their already impressive rotation. While Gore is not known for allowing fewer runs when he pitches, he gets batters to whiff at pitches, leading to stellar strikeout numbers.
With the Rangers, Gore has the opportunity to learn from two outstanding veteran pitchers who can serve as mentors: Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. deGrom has an outstanding résumé that includes five all-star selections, two NL strikeout leaders, two NL Cy Young Awards, and many other accolades.
Eovaldi is a two-time World Series champion. deGrom and Eovaldi were on the 2023 Rangers who won the World Series, but deGrom was injured and did not play in the postseason. Both of these guys, who are presumably the number one and two starters for the Rangers, have proven track records of winning and will be able to help the former Nationals ace become a household name.
Gore has done decently well in his first appearances for his new ball club. In his first two outings, he pitched 4.2 innings, allowed two runs on six hits, recorded one strikeout, and posted a 3.86 ERA. Not typical MacKenzie Gore numbers, but it is so common for top-tier players to have not so great of a Spring, then become a beast when mid-season comes around.
Last season, in 30 starts, Gore struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings, totaling 185 punchouts. 2025 was his second season in a row with over 180 strikeouts. Gore has proven he is capable of reaching the 200-strikeout season milestone. It won't be easy, especially because he has been known to give up a good number of hits and allow some runs.
There is still a lot to appreciate about Gore, and he can be great for the Rangers, who have him under control for 2026 and 2027 before he can test free agency. For the Nationals and their fans, some great prospects are coming this way from the trade, and while we may have to wait a few seasons before they start getting their call-ups, the anticipation is worth it.
The Nationals, and their fans, are hungry for improvement so they can make it back to the postseason after missing out every year since winning the World Series, when the franchise still had all of its key players, and before some of the current stars on the team were drafted.