Rangers trade for Nationals All-Star lefty has gone from a steal to a major regret

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May 23, 2026 - 20:23

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Rangers trade for Nationals All-Star lefty has gone from a steal to a major regret originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Texas Rangers have had a strange 2026 season so far. While they've gone 24-26, they're only 1.5 games back of the AL West lead, and are still very much playoff contenders.

Amid such an odd season, the change that has occurred with the view of the trade from this past offseason with the Washington Nationals for lefty All-Star starter MacKenzie Gore has been a big surprise.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report highlighted it well, calling the Rangers' biggest offseason regret the trade for Gore. This trade went from a steal for the Rangers to a move that the team might wish they had back, and it's not just due to Gore's struggles.

Rangers might regret MacKenzie Gore trade for an unexpected reason

"Offseason Regret: Trading for MacKenzie Gore," Miller writes. "Speaking as the Washington Nationals fan of our staff, I initially felt like the Rangers fleeced the Nats in this trade."

The Rangers traded Yeremy Cabrera, Gavin Fien, Devin Fitz-Gerald, Abimelec Ortiz, and Alejandro Rosario to the Nationals for Gore this offseason.

As Miller noted, that initially seemed like a win for the Rangers. But now, with Gore banged up and posting a 4.78 ERA in his 10 starts this season, the vibe on this trade has changed drastically.

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Of the players the Rangers gave up, multiple have impressed greatly this year. Cabrera has a .986 OPS this season across 39 games at Single-A and High-A, while Fitz-Gerald has a 1.027 OPS in 38 games at High-A.

Fien has a .692 OPS in 10 games this season at Single-A, Ortiz has a .796 OPS in 38 games at Triple-A, while Rosario hasn't made an appearance for the Nationals at any level yet since the deal.

The Rangers gave up what initially didn't seem like that strong a package for Gore at the time, but now, that package is looking a bit better than before.

Add on that Gore has struggled this season, and it's understandable why Miller identified the Rangers' trade for the Nationals All-Star as their biggest regret.