2 prospects who could break out in Rangers' depleted system post-MacKenzie Gore trade

The Texas Rangers lost A LOT of prospects in the MacKenzie Gore trade. To acquire the lefty starting pitcher from the Washington Nationals, Texas traded shortstop Gavin Fien, right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario, first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young still deserves credit for trying to win now. But it's hard to ignore the number of prospects he surrendered to get Gore.

Acquiring Gore is exciting, as it shows the Rangers are committed to winning in the near term. However, it could lead to a disaster in the long term. Before the trade, the Rangers' farm system ranked 25th out of 30 MLB teams in USA Today's latest rankings. After the trade, Texas' farm system became even worse.

With the loss of those five prospects, let's take a look at some prospects still in the Rangers organization who could break out soon. We all know who Sebastian Walcott is, so let's look at some more under-the-radar players.

2 prospects who could break out in Rangers' depleted system post-MacKenzie Gore trade

SS/RHP Josh Owens

With Fien being shipped off to Washington, Owens, 19, is now the Rangers' top infield prospect besides Walcott, per MLB Pipeline. He is also a pitcher.

The Rangers selected Owens, a left-handed hitter, in the third round of the 2025 MLB Draft from Providence Academy in Johnson City, Tennessee. He signed for an over-slot $1.1 million.

Owens, who stands at 6-foot-3, is more of a contact hitter than a power guy, but he should develop more power as he ages. He is known for his speed and strong arm. Upon being drafted, the Rangers said he'd be a two-way player, but he has the most potential as a position player. On the mound, his fastball can reach 92 miles per hour.

Owens started two games on the mound for Single-A Hickory last season, allowing zero earned runs, one hit and three walks with six strikeouts across four innings. He had just two hits in 24 plate appearances with Hickory. His lackluster performance at the plate with Hickory shouldn't be a concern, given the small amount of plate appearances.

RHP Emiliano Teodo

Right-handed pitchers Jose Corniell, Winston Santos, AJ Russel, David Davalillo and Caden Scarborough rank higher than Teodo in MLB Pipeline's list of top-30 Rangers prospects. Still, with Rosario being part of the Gore trade, Teodo now has a better chance of making an impact in the big leagues soon.

Teodo, 24, struggled significantly in limited action with Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock last season, but there are reasons to believe that he will turn things around. He missed a lot of time due to back issues, which is why he pitched only 30 professional innings in 2025. He had a 7.20 ERA last year, but managed to strike out 38 batters and hold opponents to a .231 batting average. His main issue was his struggles limiting free passes, as he walked 29 batters during his 30 innings on the mound.

All of his 30 innings last season came as a reliever. He had a spectacular 2024 season for Double-A Frisco, posting a 1.98 ERA with 110 strikeouts and 50 walks in 86 1/3 innings across 20 outings (19 starts).

The Rangers' rotation is stacked, but the bullpen still needs help. If Teodo can stay healthy and return to the 2024 version of himself, he could become an impact reliever for Texas.