The Washington Nationals have finally pulled the trigger. After months and months of constant speculation about when they would cash in their most likely trade asset, they finally found a team that was willing to meet their asking price.
MacKenzie Gore has finally been dealt, as the Nationals found their trade partner in the Texas Rangers, who gave the new front office led by President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni the haul they were looking for. In exchange for the 2025 All-Star lefty, the Nationals received 5 prospects in what could end up shaping the future of the farm system for Washington.
The Nationals ended up receiving a package headlined by infield prospect Gavin Fien, who was most recently the #12 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, where the Nationals selected Eli Willits first overall. Besides Fien, the Nationals received righty Alejandro Rosario, first baseman and outfielder Abimelec Ortiz, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera.
After the Nationals had watched several other teams fill their need for high-end starting pitching like the New York Mets, Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs all make moves for pitchers, while it felt like the Nationals' negotiations had stagnated. The new front office led by Toboni had been adamant that they were going to want to have their asking price met, and it appears the Rangers finally made it happen.
All in told, the Nationals did very well in this trade to get Texas' #2 prospect in Fien, #6 prospect in Rosario, #12 prospect in Fitz-Gerald, #16 prospect in Cabrera, and their #16 prospect in Ortiz. All of these players will immediately slot into the Nationals' Top 30 Prospects list, and the organization's future just got a whole lot brighter, although the immediate future becomes a lot more cloudy.
By dealing the team's best starting pitcher, Toboni will now have to figure out how to fill the gap left vacated by the All-Star lefty's departure, and there are still numerous quality options out there who could easily anchor the team's rotation before spring training kicks off. I am very relieved that the Nationals were able to offload Gore before the season begins, and I am even more excited to see the impact that all of the new prospects will have on the organization by the time the franchise is competing again.
What do you think of the Nationals' haul for MacKenzie Gore? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.