The 2026 campaign is right around the corner, and the Texas Rangers were busy this offseason to ensure they have the best chance at getting back to the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 2023.
The Rangers went out and acquired Brandon Nimmo from the New York Mets for Marcus Semien, just recently brought back Jordon Montgomery, and bolstered the bullpen and starting rotation depth through and through.
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Of all the moves they made this offseason, trading away a package of five prospects to the Washington Nationals to acquire left-handed starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore stands as one of the best moves any team made. His addition is critical, as he stands out as the obvious contention candidate.
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The Rangers Should Extend Mackenzie Gore
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) pitches. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Gore joins a rotation led by veterans Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi and easily helps put the rotation outlook as one of the best three-headed monsters in the American League. Gore is still very young, too, has ace experience, and is the future of the Texas rotation, if only the front office sees things that way, too.
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MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand listed Gore as a potential contract extension candidate for the reason that both deGrom and Eovaldi are aging and will become free agents at the same time Gore will, which is 2027. Depending on how this year goes, Gore should be in high consideration to earn a boatload of money.
Plus, if the Rangers weren’t serious about having Gore on their roster for the foreseeable future, why else would they trade for him? Adding him for a few seasons and then letting him walk, especially if he’s successful, seems to be very backwards, which stands out as a primary reason he should get extended.
Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore (1) in the windup. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
While some may think the obvious contract extension candidate for Texas is Wyatt Langford, Langford is under team control until he hits free agency in 2030, giving the front office time to build around him and see if he’s still producing for them up until that point.
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Since Gore is the closest to free agency and is about to turn 27 with four seasons of pro ball under his belt, letting him hit the open market would almost certainly mean he would find his way out of Texas.
Gore isn’t focused on a contract extension; he’s focused on winning now with the group he’s with, which he revealed such excitement for.
“I’m really excited to continue to improve with these guys and be able to watch what they do every day; I’m really excited,” Gore told MLB Network.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rangers/onsi as Most Obvious Contract Extension Candidate for Texas Rangers is Young Ace.