The Texas Rangers entered the final day of the trade deadline ready to be sellers, with the club listening on multiple players.
This included starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who generated a lot of interest around the league. The Atlanta Braves were one of the main teams linked with the Rangers ace, but the talks never went anywhere.
Jacob deGrom Trade Rumors
deGrom invoked his no-trade clause, ending any trade talks around him, according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“The Texas Rangers approached right-hander Jacob deGrom about waiving his no-trade clause, but the pitcher told the team he wanted to remain with the club, people briefed on the conversations have told The Athletic,” Rosenthal reported.
“The Rangers awarded deGrom full no-trade protection when they signed him to a five-year, $185 million free-agent contract in Dec. 2022. He is under contract through 2027.”
The 38-year-old has been good for the Rangers this season, posting a 3.96 ERA over 22 starts. The right-hander can still dominate on the mound, even if he isn’t the same Cy Young-caliber arm that he was a few years ago.
deGrom still has two more years left on his contract, with the right-hander scheduled to earn $37 million next season. Then finally, in his age-40 year, the veteran has a club option for $20 million.
While the Rangers won’t move deGrom right now, there is always a possibility come the offseason. deGrom may prefer to be traded then, rather than in the middle of a season.
More teams could be interested as well, with organizations having more control over finances and salary situations during the winter. deGrom’s tenure with the Rangers has been successful, but it seems that his time in Texas could be coming to an end, if he allows it.
Rangers Trade Deadline Outlook
With deGrom staying put, the Rangers still have a few other players who could be moved. This includes star infielder Corey Seager and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.
Both players can block trades as well, with Eovaldi holding a full no-trade clause in his contract. Seager can block deals to eight clubs, giving him some power in his future.
Texas already traded away utilityman Josh Smith to the Toronto Blue Jays, giving more thought to the team being sellers. Despite the Rangers only being 2.5 games back of the American League West division, the team has wanted to start anew.
This is a somewhat surprising path for the Rangers to take, given where they are in the standings. But it’s clear that the front office doesn’t believe in this group, and now they are looking for different avenues to build toward the future.
With a potential lockout coming to baseball, the Rangers have wanted to shed salary. Texas already cut $40 million this past offseason, and this trade deadline could see them continue this approach.
Texas is only a few seasons removed from winning the World Series with this core, making the decisions over the last few years a little confusing. But the team spent heavily to become a dominant team, and now the organization seems to be paying the price.
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