Gore traded to the Rangers for prospects

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Figured this deserves its own thread.

Jon Heyman
@JonHeyman
6m
Breaking; Mackenzie Gore traded to Rangers

Passan says 5 prospects coming back to DC.

[imref]

Nussbaum says the big names are SS Gavin Fien (Rangers' #2, last year at A) and RHP Alejandro Rosario (Rangers #6, last year at AA)

MLB on Fien:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

After Fien starred on the showcase circuit last summer, winning MVP honors at MLB's High School All-American Game and leading the U.S. 18-and-under national team in slugging (.680), many evaluators considered him the best bat in the 2025 high school class. While he wasn't as consistent as a California high school senior, his offensive upside still landed him a $4.8 million bonus as the 12th overall pick by the Rangers. His older brother Dylan is a catcher in the Athletics system.

Though Fien has an unorthodox setup in which he holds his hands higher than most hitters, that doesn't prevent him from doing damage. He has a patient approach and a quick right-handed stroke that allowed him to repeatedly barrel up top competition as an amateur. He's continuing to add muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame and has shown the aptitude to drive the ball in the air, allowing him to get to much of his plus raw power.

Fien also has gotten quicker as he has gotten stronger, though he still won't be more than an average runner and could lose a step as he fills out more. Though he was drafted as a shortstop, he profiles better as a third baseman and could be a solid defender at the hot corner. He played first base for Team USA and his strong arm would fit in right field.

MLB on Rosario:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Splitter: 60 | Control: 60 | Overall: 45

Rosario rated as a top-three-rounds talent after reclassifying into the 2020 Draft as a Florida high schooler, yet went undrafted because he was strongly committed to Miami. He got pounded for a 6.47 ERA in three years with the Hurricanes before the Rangers took him in 2023's fifth round and gave his mechanics and pitch mix a makeover. The results were dramatic during his pro debut last year as he posted a 2.24 ERA between two Class A stops while ranking first in the Minors in K-BB percentage (33.1 percent) and second in strikeout percentage (36.9 percent) and K/BB ratio (9.9) among pitchers with at least as many as his 88 1/3 innings. But then he injured his elbow getting ready for Spring Training in February and required reconstructive elbow surgery that will sideline him until 2026.

Rosario operated at 94-98 mph and reached 100 with his fastball in 2024, and he found more success blasting it by hitters at the letters in pro ball than he did sinking it down in the zone in college. His 88-92 mph splitter was a swing-and-miss pitch with devastating tumble and run at its best last year. He has scrapped the curveball and cutter he toyed with at Miami to focus on an 83-85 mph slider that shows flashes of giving him a third plus offering.

After Rosario turned pro, the Rangers moved him to the third-base side of the rubber and had him keep his delivery closed longer to hide the ball better from hitters. He also creates some deception with his flat approach angle and his new mechanics have allowed him to pound the strike zone after he battled his control and command with the Hurricanes. Before he got hurt, he once again looked like the pitcher who intrigued scouts in high school and has the upside of a frontline starter.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

Sigh. This is so lame. At some point I’ll wise up and just stop caring about this team.

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Fien was the Rangers' first round pick in 2025 (#12 overall).

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Per Rangers' writer Evan Grant, the additional players are 1B/OF Abimelec Ortiz (#18), INF Devin Fitz-Gerald (#12) and one other (reportedly #16 OF Yeremy Cabrera).

[Slateman]

Not a single top 100 prospect

[NatsLSU]

Wow this is depressing. We are essentially the Marlins and As level right now. I hate the Lerners so much. Maybe we can trade Wood next! So much for this bs rebuild since the Soto trade.

[imref]

Not a single top 100 prospect

seems like Fien should be close. Rosario probably would be top-100 if he didn't miss all of last year. But most of these guys are far away lottery tickets.

[NatsLSU]

Just what we need, far away lotto tickets. Maybe we can rebuild for another 5 years and lose 90 games a year.

[imref]

Passan:

Full trade, per ESPN sources:

Rangers get: LHP MacKenzie Gore

Nationals get: 3B Gavin Fien, SS Devin Fitz-Gerald, RHP Alejandro Rosario, 1B Abimelec Ortiz and and OF Yeremy Cabrera

A big return for the Nationals. Fien was the 12th pick last year. Evaluators love Fitz-Gerald.

[metssuck]

As frustrating as the 2010’s were sometimes, in hindsight I really appreciate and miss that time.


Back then in a town with the Commanders and wizards, I never thought about the possibility of the Nats having the worse ownership/FO in the city

[NatsLSU]

Yep and the Wiz are finally about to take off starting next season.

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Trading Gore was the right move.  He has 2 years of control left and is a Boras client.  We’re not competing the next 2 years, and he won’t sign an extension due to being a Boras guy.  Now was the return the right return?  Only time will tell.

The fact is the organization should have took this “new age” front office approach to the rebuild in 2021.  Aside from the fruits of the Soto trade, instead they spun their wheels.

So, unfortunately while the new front office can be approaching a rebuild the correct way, it’s on the back of the fan frustration of an already extended “rebuild” under the previous front office.

This new front office could prove to be very efficient, but without ownership spending, and be the next Rays.  Best case is in a few years with a strong foundation set, ownership spends like they did for Rizzo when he laid a foundation.  Worst case is this new front office works no miracles and ownership refuses to invest, so we’re the A’s or Pirates.

[Section214]

Zero top 100 prospects, zero immediate contributors.. That is very underwhelming. I understand trying to load up the farm, but man, it would have been nice to have one good starting pitcher this year.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

Trading Gore was the right move.  He has 2 years of control left and is a Boras client.  We’re not competing the next 2 years, and he won’t sign an extension due to being a Boras guy.  Now was the return the right return?  Only time will tell.

The fact is the organization should have took this “new age” front office approach to the rebuild in 2021.  Aside from the fruits of the Soto trade, instead they spun their wheels.

So, unfortunately while the new front office can be approaching a rebuild the correct way, it’s on the back of the fan frustration of an already extended “rebuild” under the previous front office.

This new front office could prove to be very efficient, but without ownership spending, and be the next Rays.  Best case is in a few years with a strong foundation set, ownership spends like they did for Rizzo when he laid a foundation.  Worst case is this new front office works no miracles and ownership refuses to invest, so we’re the A’s or Pirates.

Trading Gore accomplishes nothing. This is no different from all the other trades we made that were meant to build for the future. Next will be CJ, then Wood and eventually Crews. We’re the Marlins.

[NatsLSU]

Yep getting back 0 immediate help just signals we are going to be rebuilding for another 5 years. And the show goes on. This is a nightmare until new ownership comes along.

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

It accomplishes something if some of the guys in the return become what the front office believes they can be.  One trade isn’t fixing the entire organization.  Again, you can’t expect this new front office to “make up” for Rizzo’s failures and find a quick miracle fix.  All you can do is see how it plays out.

[Lintyfresh85]

Rosario sounds like an absolute stud if he can get healthy

[USF_Football]

From a Fantasy baseball perspective, here's one opinion on Gavin Fien: Selected 12th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6'3'', 200 pound Fien is a big boy with the big power to match from a fast and powerful righty swing. I don't exactly love the swing though. It's oddly stiff. It's like his batting coach is Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. "What you want to do is lock your knees in place and then snap your back up." It's working though, and I never want to get too hung up on swing mechanics, especially when it's working for a guy. He has size, power, and feel to hit, and while the pro debut wasn't great (75 wRC+ in 10 games), I wouldn't let it swing your thinking in either direction.

ETA: 2029 Prime Projection: 77/25/84/.257/.336/.464/8

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

Our pitching will be so bad that we could genuinely be the worst team in baseball next year. Like 40-win bad. The team is horrible. If we’re doing this and not going to be competitive then why even keep Wood? Abrams is going next, right?

[USF_Football]

Devin Fitz-Gerald: Called up to the age appropriate Single-A and had a 134 wRC+ and 3 steals in 10 games before hitting the IL with a shoulder injury in early July. The 25.6% BB% is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but not a bad introduction to full season ball. He signed for $900,000 as a 5th round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, which shows he's a real prospect. He's not a big guy at 5'10'', but he's powerful and athletic. Worth keeping an eye on.

[Lintyfresh85]

Yeah Abrams won't make it past the trade deadline and if we're really truly fixing this thing... Then he definitely does need to be traded

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Now CJ, he isn’t a Boras guy, so I’d like to see the organization get him extended at a bit of a discount now, then develop him to consistently be the stud he’s been for half seasons at a time.  Wood, CJ, and Crews need to be cornerstones developed and extended.

[Smithian]

This feels on the edge of "should have rolled the dice through the deadline" but I like Gavin Fien. That's a quality prospect.

Three lottery tickets. Considering how soft the second tier of our system was 12 months ago, this continues the work started at the deadline of restocking the middle of the Farm System. Dylan Crews was carrying the sts

If the medicals on Gavin Rosario pass, I can learn to like this trade.

My general reminder here is people overrate their assets. Right now, the Rangers reddit is grumbling they gave up too much.

[USF_Football]

Alejandro Rosario - So apparently while it was reported Rosario will undergo major elbow surgery, he never actually went under the knife. News is scarce on what is going on here, but it still seems like he needs to get surgery, and I haven't seen any news that he's gotten yet. He might be missing all of 2026 at this point. I searched but maybe I missed some news here.