Cubs look brilliant after Rangers make stunning trade for Nationals ace

As was the case for Edward Cabrera, the Chicago Cubs had their eye on MacKenzie Gore for quite some time. The Cubs were among the teams interested in trading for Gore at the MLB trade deadline last July, but Washington was believed to be asking for a package that included Owen Caissie, Matt Shaw, and Cade Horton. Gore remained with the Nationals to end the 2025 season, but Washington just found someone willing to meet their high asking price.

The Nationals have traded Gore to the Texas Rangers in a deal that sees five prospects headed to Washington, including 2025 first-round pick Gavin Fien.

Cubs may have nailed their Edward Cabrera trade as Rangers pay big MacKenzie Gore

Fien, the Rangers' No. 2 prospect, is believed to be the key prospect in the trade. Since he was just drafted last summer, he hasn't cracked MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list, but many talent evaluators across the game are in love with his profile.

Beyond Fien, the Rangers also took a wrecking ball to the top half of their farm system. Alejandro Rosario was a top 10 prospect in Texas' farm system, while Abimelec Ortiz, Devin Fitz-Gerald, and Yeremy Cabrera are all top 20 prospects.

What makes the trade so fascinating is that Gore has two years of control, while Cabrera has three years of control. While Cabrera is considered a risk because of his injury history, like Gore, he's had the impression of being on the ascent toward being a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

In trading for Cabrera, the Cubs did part with their top prospect in Owen Caissie, but the inclusion of Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon was viewed as lottery tickets.

In other words, imagine the Cubs giving up one of James Traintos or Jefferson Rojas, and another top-20 prospect. Whether Gore or Cabrera, that trade would have been viewed as a deal that wrecked the team's farm system.

Which, by the way, even after trade for Cabrera, the Cubs' system isn't in the greatest of spots.

When talking about the risks involved in each trade, it's easy to see why the Cubs chose the trade for Cabrera. Caissie likely is the only prospect who has the chance to burn Chicago, but Cabrera has one more season of control than Gore, and it's easy to see why Chicago believes their pitching infrastructure can turn the 27-year-old into an ace.