The Atlanta Braves tried to land former Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom ahead of the MLB trade deadline, but they were rebuffed.
With the Braves on their way to the playoffs, the team was looking to acquire another frontline starter to pair with ace Chris Sale ahead of a postseason run.
The Braves called up the Texas Rangers about deGrom, a former two-time Cy Young Award winner with the New York Mets, seeing if there was a way to make a trade happen.
But deGrom would not waive his no-trade clause, and the deal was dead.
Braves Tried to Get Jacob deGrom
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Braves showed serious interest in acquiring deGrom right before the trade deadline, but ultimately, the veteran hurler would not waive his NTC to make a deal happen.
“The Braves informed the Rangers of their desire to land deGrom, according to people briefed on the discussions who were offered anonymity for their candor. The Rangers told deGrom if he wanted to waive his no-trade clause for Atlanta, they would make a deal happen, the source said, but deGrom said no, explaining that he wanted to win in Texas,” Rosenthal wrote.
Braves Previously Tried to Sign Jacob deGrom
According to Rosenthal, the Braves tried to land deGrom as a free agent ahead of the 2023 MLB season. But he chose to sign with the Rangers instead, and won the World Series in his first season in Texas.
Still, with the Rangers iffy to make the postseason this year and the Braves a near-lock to make it to the dance, Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos was hoping that he could get deGrom to waive his NTC to come to Atlanta. In the end, deGrom said no, opting to remain with Texas past the deadline instead.
“The Rangers negotiated deGrom’s full no-trade clause into his free-agent contract. The Braves, though, had reason to be confident that he might join them. They met with him when he was a free agent. They are closer to his home in DeLand, Fla. And this season, they are a better team than the Rangers, entering the deadline with playoff odds of 99.3 percent,” Rosenthal wrote.
At age 38 and having one season left on his deal beyond this one at $37 million, it made sense for Texas to see if deGrom was willing to waive his NTC and go elsewhere.
But ultimately, since he had full control of where he wanted to go, deGrom chose to remain in Texas and try to win another World Series with the Rangers instead.
“I want to be here. I believe in this group. Obviously, the last road trip didn’t go well, but I believe we can win. I signed here to help this team win a World Series. …” deGrom said, as relayed by Rangers reporter Kennedi Landry on X.
“In 2023, the team was able to do that. I want to be a part of that in the future. I signed here to do that. I want to stay here and help this team compete.”
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