To discuss the deadline and set up a crucial week for the club, Cubs beat writer Patrick Mooney hosted a live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers on Tuesday. Here are some questions that were answered during the chat.

Washington is 43-62 on the year, 13.5 games back in the wild card race, so it will likely be willing to trade one of its best arms if it can get the right offer. The Cubs, who appear ready to make a deep playoff run, could benefit tremendously from Gore, so they might be willing to meet the Nationals' "sky-high" price point.

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres' starters have recorded worse ERAs than Chicago's rotation among National League playoff contenders. Gore would bring a much-needed swing-and-miss element to the Cubs rotation, and would immediately slot in as the club's third starter behind Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd.

Chicago Cubs are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central and for the best record in the National League. Clearly, this Cubs t

It is not unusual for All-Star MacKenzie Gore to limit his opponents from scoring. What is uncommon for the southpaw is a high walk rate.