Ladies and gentlemen, we've finally arrived. It's trade deadline week, with just days remaining for would-be contenders to add the finishing touches to their rosters — and sellers to start laying the groundwork for next season. This deadline figures to be the wildest we've seen in a bit, with all but a select few teams still in the playoff hunt and some very big names being tossed around the rumor mill.
Which of those big names will actually be on the move before July 31? Will the Washington Nationals be motivated to take a king's ransom for All-Star lefty MacKenzie Gore, and will the Miami Marlins finally pull the trigger on a Sandy Alcantara deal? And which teams are getting the most aggressive when it comes to adding premier talent? Our latest trade deadline rumor roundup touches on all that and more, so let's get to it.
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MLB trade deadline rumors: Nationals not interested in moving MacKenzie Gore
As buyers get increasingly desperate to find impact starting pitching help, a surprise name has entered the chat in recent days: Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore, in the midst of a breakout season that's felt like years in the making. On the surface, Gore makes sense as an trade candidate; the Nats don't appear all that close to finally pulling out of their post-Juan Soto rebuild — they don't even know who their next full-time GM is going to be — and Gore is only under team control through the 2027 season, meaning the clock is officially ticking. If Washington doesn't think it can put a contending team around him in the next year or two, then moving on now might be the best course of action.
The team, however, seems to have other ideas. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Washington's young core of Gore, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews and James Wood "is staying put," which feels pretty iron-clad as deadline declarations go. And really, you can't fault the Nats for not wanting to move on: Despite another losing season, there is a good amount of talent here, with more on the way in 2026 if Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana continue their early trajectories. The market for Gore will still be plenty robust this winter or even next deadline, when he'll still come with another full year of team control; why not see what another offseason can do to accelerate the timeline, especially given that Wood already looks like a superstar?
MLB trade deadline rumors: Sandy Alcantara market "soaring"
Speaking of NL East starters with friendly contracts: The baseball world continues to wait and see whether the Marlins will finally be willing to cut bait with former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. He's coming off one of his best starts of the year, firing seven shutout innings against the San Diego Padres last week, and Nightengale reports that performance now has teams "convinced he will be moved" before Thursday's deadline.
Then again, the overall track record this season leaves something to be desired; even against San Diego, it was more a matter of batted-ball luck than a return to his pre-injury dominance. Teams might not be thrilled at the prospect of paying full freight given how he's looked in 2025, and with one more guaranteed year in 2026 and a team option for 2027, there's nothing stopping Miami from continuing to wait and hope that he regains his prior form.
Of course, there's also always the chance that Alcantara never does get back to the pitcher he was, and in that case, his value is only going to go down as the clock continues to tick on his current contract. It's a tough calculus for Miami right now, and a pitching-thin market could convince a team to make it worth their while.
MLB trade deadline rumors: Red Sox zeroing in on Yandy Diaz
The Red Sox took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, further solidifying themselves as Wild Card contenders and buyers at the trade deadline. Pitching is probably priority No. 1 for Craig Breslow, but this team could also use another bat to stabilize first base in the wake of Triston Casas' knee injury.
A division rival might be able to help with that. While Boston has surged, the Tampa Bay Rays have hit the skids, falling back to .500 after getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds this weekend — the team's sixth loss in its last seven games. If a four-game set with the New York Yankees beginning Monday doesn't break right, Tampa could find itself selling at the deadline; and if that comes to pass, pending free agent Yandy Diaz could be a player the team looks to move.
Diaz does have a $12 million team option for the 2026 season, but the Rays love to stay one step ahead of the payroll cycle, and ESPN's Buster Olney reported over the weekend that the first baseman/DH could be on the move this week. He'd be a perfect fit in Boston, especially given his right-handed swing, and Tampa has proven willing to do business within the AL East in the past.