The Washington Nationals are trading left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers for five prospects, a league source confirmed to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Thursday. This move comes as no surprise, as trade speculation has been swirling around Gore throughout the winter. The Nationals, who overhauled their front office and player development department over the offseason, contemplated trading Gore for several reasons.
One incentive was capitalizing on a relatively thin free-agent market for starting pitching. Gore, who is entering his age-27 season and has two years remaining before free agency, was due to make $5.6 million in his second year of arbitration, making him an affordable upgrade for mid-market teams looking to bolster their rotation. Gore posted a stellar first half last year en route to his first-career All-Star berth, logging a 3.02 ERA over 19 starts with a whopping 138 strikeouts. However, various injuries caused him to struggle in the second half, including a shoulder issue in August and an ankle injury in September that ended his season.
Despite these injuries, those who follow the sport believe that Gore's value entering the offseason remained intact, thanks to a noticeable uptick in velocity and movement. New president of baseball operations Paul Toboni did not feel he needed to trade Gore, but as the Nationals face yet another rebuild, the first-time top executive was willing to do so if he could net significant controllable talent in a return. Landing five prospects certainly fits that mold.
In trading for Gore, the Rangers landed starting pitching talent their rotation desperately needed. A healthy Jacob deGrom posted 30 starts with a 2.97 ERA. Nathan Eovaldi was phenomenal last year with a career-best 1.73 ERA over 22 starts, but a right rotator cuff strain ended his season in August. Gore will likely slot in the middle of the rotation alongside Jack Leiter, giving Texas one of the more formidable groups of starters in the American League West.
