Watch a live news conference right now from Globe Life Field, where the Rangers are introducing new pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
Texas acquired the left-handed pitcher from the Nationals in exchange for a package of prospects: shortstop Gavin Fien, right-hander Alejandro Rosario, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, outfielder Yeremy Cabrera and first baseman Abimelec Ortiz.
Gore joins a rotation that was the best in baseball in 2025 (3.41 ERA), headed by co-aces Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. Some combination of Jack Leiter, Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz will likely round out the back end of the rotation on Opening Day.
A 2025 All-Star, Gore went 5-15 across 30 starts for the 96-loss Nationals last year, posting a 4.17 ERA in 159 2/3 innings. He had a 3.02 ERA in 110 1/3 innings before the break but struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 49 1/3 innings afterward.
Gore also had career highs in strikeouts (185), quality starts (14) and bWAR (3.0) across his 30 starts last season. Had he qualified for the ERA title -- he was 2 1/3 innings short -- he would have ranked third in the NL with a 10.43 K/9 rate (min. 30 starts).