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The Houston Astros are no strangers to success. Last season was their first since 2017 in which they didn't make it to at least the ALCS, if not the World Series. The team is 60-47 and atop the American League West standings this year, and they are ready to return to making another deep playoff run.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is July 31, and the Astros should consider making a trade for MacKenzie Gore. So what would it take to land Gore, the starting pitcher who is one of the best players on the trading block?
Astros' potential trade proposal for MacKenzie Gore
Astros receive: MacKenzie Gore
National receive: Jacob Melton (Astros No. 2), Miguel Ullola (Astros No. 4), AJ Blubaugh (Astros No. 12), Zach Cole (Astros No. 25), Luis Garcia
The Astros are well-renowned for their player development. They churn out homegrown star-level players arguably more than any other team in the league.
The team has never been afraid to make the moves that could get them over the hump, though. The Astros traded for Justin Verlander before making a championship run in 2017, and they made trade deadline deals for Christian Vasquez, Will Smith, and Trey Mancini ahead of their 2022 World Series run.
Considering the Verlander deal was technically a waiver deadline trade and not a trade deadline deal, a move for Gore could be their biggest deadline deal yet. Gore is a young ace with years left of team control. The 26-year-old has a 3.52 ERA and 144 strikeouts this season.
Gore causes a lot of swings and misses, especially with his breaking balls. He'd slot in well near or at the top of Houston's rotation, which already features Framber Valdez, Hunter Brown, and Colton Gordon.
The team could certainly use one more playoff-level starter, and although Valdez has a claim as the ace in his own right, he has worked well as a 1B option before, evidenced by his time with Verlander on the staff.
The Astros already lead all of baseball in strikeouts with 1,034, and they are second with a batting average against of .229. Gore would make them nearly unhittable.
With Brice Matthews emerging, Jose Altuve being his regular self, Jeremy Pena hitting for a high average, and Jordan Alvarez nearing a return, the Astros find themselves in a prime position to make another World Series run this year. They could just use one more piece to get them over the top.
Would the Nationals trade MacKenzie Gore?
The Washington Nationals are 44-62, which gives them the third-worst record in baseball. They are primed to be sellers at the trade deadline, but they also don't have many rental pieces to trade away. The team will certainly take calls for Gore, but it would take a massive haul to pry him away from Washington.
The Nationals originally acquired Gore as one of the big pieces in the Juan Soto-to-San Diego Padres trade. He earned his first All-Star appearance this season, and he likely hasn't come close to his peak yet. Reports suggest that Gore will likely stay put with the Nationals.
The former No. 3 overall pick has honed his stuff and is now walking batters with less frequency. The Astros could have an enticing package to offer for Gore's services, but the Nationals may be better off either holding on to Gore or pursuing other deals from teams with better farm systems.
MLB Pipeline still lists Matthews as the Astros' top prospect, but Houston is unlikely to move him now that he is starting at second base on the major-league team with Brendan Rodgers on the injured list. Without a top prospect in return, trading Gore would be tough to justify for the Nationals.
