The Rangers made a major trade last week when they acquired left-hander and 2025 All-Star MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals in a deal that sent five prospects to Washington, D.C.
This was a fascinating landing spot for one of the most coveted trade candidates this offseason and a move that signaled the Rangers’ intent to compete with this current core. Gore, who is under club control for the next two seasons, added a key piece in the rotation headed by veterans Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi and a pair of interesting young arms in Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker.
While this move gave Texas more rotation stability and upside, Gore is also something of a wild card himself, given that he dominated in the first half last season (3.02 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings) before slumping to a 6.75 ERA in the second half. That uncertainty makes him an intriguing fit with aging veterans with recent injury history and a pair of youngsters with a limited track record.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at the pros and cons for each of the Rangers' projected starters and why this could be a high-risk, high-reward group.
Jacob deGrom
Pros: deGrom’s 2025 season was a delight and a reminder of just how great he is when he’s fully healthy. In his best season with the Rangers across 172 2/3 innings -- his most innings thrown since 2019 -- deGrom boasted a 2.97 ERA with 185 strikeouts and 3.4 WAR (per FanGraphs). The right-hander was selected to his fifth All-Star Game and finished eighth in Cy Young Award voting for his efforts. Even with diminished velocity (he merely averaged 97.5 mph on his fastball and 90.4 mph on the slider), deGrom incorporated his changeup and curveball more frequently and enjoyed his best full season in years.
Cons: Of course, health has been a pivotal component of deGrom’s career. The righty underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and made just 35 combined starts from 2021-24 due to various injuries beyond his elbow surgery. Set to turn 38 this June, deGrom will also be dealing with the unstoppable Father Time in the coming years. For the Rangers to return to the playoffs, they’ll almost certainly need something resembling a full season from deGrom, a risky proposition given his recent track record.
Nathan Eovaldi
Pros: Eovaldi, a critical contributor to the Rangers’ 2023 title team, was better than ever last season. In 130 innings, Eovaldi posted a 1.73 ERA, the lowest mark in the Majors (minimum 100 innings) and by far the lowest figure in his career (his previous-best mark was 3.39 in 2013). Even his ERA indicators were strong, as the right-hander had a 3.02 expected ERA that ranked in the 88th percentile and a career-low 3.03 expected FIP.
Cons: Eovaldi’s 2025 season ended in August due to a rotator cuff strain and he also underwent sports hernia surgery in October. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training, but as someone who will turn 36 next month that dealt with multiple injuries in 2025, there’s real concern about what kind of output Eovaldi can produce. Eovaldi and deGrom were two of baseball’s top pitchers last year, but there’s a lot riding on both guys staying healthy and pitching similarly in 2026.
MacKenzie Gore
Pros: There’s ample reason as to why the Rangers traded for Gore, who has been viewed as one of baseball’s top trade candidates seemingly for years now. The lefty will turn 27 next month and is one of just nine pitchers who struck out 180 or more hitters in each of the last two seasons (Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler and Garrett Crochet are a few of the pitchers on that list). Gore sits in the mid-90s on his heater and has a trio of secondaries (slider, curveball and changeup) that each produced a whiff rate north of 35 percent last season. If things click, this is a pitcher that could garner Cy Young Award consideration.
Cons: As alluded to before, Gore has been inconsistent in his MLB career, fading down the stretch significantly last year after a superb first half. Gore has long been viewed as a potential ace since he was selected third overall by the Padres in the 2017 Draft. Realizing that frontline potential has proved elusive at times and led to middling run prevention (his 3.90 ERA in 2024 was his only year with a sub-4 ERA). It’s possible that Gore will never reach those lofty standards, but even if he doesn’t, he’s still a quality No. 3 starter for the Rangers and most teams in baseball.
Jack Leiter
Pros: After a tough 2024 debut where Leiter posted an unsightly 8.83 ERA and 6.11 xERA in 35 2/3 innings, the young right-hander had a strong first full season in ‘25, posting a 3.86 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 151 2/3 innings. The fact that Leiter rebounded so quickly from his 2024 debut was encouraging both in terms of the quality and quantity of his output. Leiter averaged 97.0 mph on his fastball (ranked in the 88th percentile) across a full season and flashed a strong five-pitch mix.
Cons: Leiter was perhaps lucky to keep his ERA under four given some of the underlying metrics. Whether it was his 4.45 xERA, 4.53 xFIP or 4.15 FIP, most ERA indicators showed a true talent level closer to a mid-4s ERA. Leiter boasted an above-average strikeout rate (22.9 percent), but he struggled with walks (10.4 percent walk rate, 16th percentile) and ranked below the 20th percentile in barrel and hard-hit rates. He’s only entering his age-26 season, though, and given his prospect pedigree, there could be positive changes in store.
Jacob Latz, Kumar Rocker and Cody Bradford
Barring injury, the top four starters for the Rangers seem like a lock. The final spot in the rotation will likely come down to Latz and Rocker, with Bradford potentially being in the mix when he returns from injury.
Latz was an unexpected contributor to the Rangers last season, posting a 2.84 ERA across 85 2/3 innings, making eight starts for Texas while also making 10 multi-inning relief appearances. Most of his ERA indicators suggested he should’ve been closer to a league-average ERA, but his surprising season put the 29-year-old (he’ll turn 30 in April) in the rotation plans for 2026.
Rocker carries immense name value as someone drafted on three occasions, including in the first round by the Mets in 2021 (he ultimately didn’t sign) and third overall by the Rangers in 2022. The former Vanderbilt standout debuted in 2024 and owns a career 5.45 ERA and 4.69 FIP in 76 innings. He’s entering his age-26 season and the former top prospect has a wide range of outcomes in 2026.
Bradford, who didn’t pitch at all in 2025 and underwent internal brace surgery on his left arm in June, is targeting a return to the Majors by May. Set to turn 28 next month, Bradford has dealt with various injuries over his professional career, but the left-hander showed real promise in 2024 when he had a 3.54 ERA and 3.44 xERA in 76 1/3 innings. While he won’t be in the early-season plans, Bradford could be a boost to the Rangers' staff at some point, either in the rotation or bullpen.