Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has acquired left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals in exchange for shortstop Gavin Fien, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario, first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz, and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera.
The 26-year-old Gore was a National League All-Star with Washington in 2025, going 5-15 with a 4.17 ERA (74 ER/159.2 IP), 3.74 FIP, 185 strikeouts, and a career-best 3.0 wins above replacement figure (baseball-reference) in 30 starts. Among N.L. pitchers with 30-or-more starts last season, the left-hander ranked highly in strikeouts per 9.0 (3rd, 10.43), strikeouts (11th), and FIP (12th). Gore worked a career-high 14 quality starts in 2025 and produced a career-best 1.353 WHIP. He collected a career-high 13 strikeouts on March 27 vs. Philadelphia and April 19 at Colorado, joining Detroit's Tarik Skubal and Seattle's Georgy Kirby as the only MLB pitchers with multiple outings of 13-or-more strikeouts in 2025.
Since making his Major League debut with San Diego in 2022, the Wilmington, N.C. native is 26-41 with a 4.19 ERA (248 ER/532.1 IP), 4.02 FIP, and 589 strikeouts in 105 games/102 starts with the Padres (2022) and Nationals (2023-25). He was the third overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft by San Diego out of Whiteville (N.C.) H.S., then was traded to Washington on August 2, 2022, as part of an eight-player swap that sent outfielder Juan Soto to the Padres.
From 2023-25, Gore ranked 4th among N.L. qualifiers with 10.06 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, trailing only Freddy Peralta (10.71), Zack Wheeler (10.48), and Jesús Luzardo (10.11). The left-hander’s 517 strikeouts during that span were 6th-most in the N.L. He posted strikeout totals of 181 and 185 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, becoming the first N.L. southpaw to record back-to-back campaigns of at least 180 strikeouts since Washington's Patrick Corbin from 2018-19. Gore was one of 11 N.L. hurlers to make 100-or-more starts from 2022-25, becoming the first N.L. pitcher to eclipse 100 starts over his first four MLB seasons since Los Angeles-NL’s Kenta Maeda from 2016-19.
The 18-year-old Fien went 9-for-41 (.220) over 10 games for Single-A Hickory last season, his first professional action. He was selected by Texas with the 12th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft from Great Oak H.S. in Temecula, Calif.
Fitz-Gerald, 20, appeared in 41 games with Rookie-level ACL Rangers and Single-A Hickory in 2025, batting .302 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI. He was originally selected by Texas in the 5th round of the 2024 MLB Draft from Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) H.S.
The 24-year-old Rosario did not see official game action in 2025, spending the entire season on the 60-day Injured List. A Florida native, Rosario was taken by Texas in the 5th round of the 2023 MLB Draft from the University of Miami.
Ortiz, 23, logged 130 games with Frisco (AA) and Round Rock (AAA) in 2025, his fifth minor league season (all in Rangers org.), before being added to Texas' Major League roster on November 18, 2025. The Puerto Rico native was signed by Texas as a minor league free agent in 2021.
Cabrera, 20, hit .256 (98-383) over 102 games for Hickory (A) in 2025. The left-handed-hitting outfielder originally signed with Texas as a minor league free agent on January 15, 2022.
With today’s transactions, the Rangers remain at the 40-man limit on the club’s Major League roster.
– RANGERS –