The Texas Rangers were open for business heading into Monday’s trade deadline, but that didn’t necessarily mean they could do whatever they wanted.
Several big-ticket Rangers contracts include no-trade clauses, and one of them, Jacob deGrom, who was receiving trade interest from the Atlanta Braves and others, wasn’t willing to waive his to leave Texas.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal shared the details in an article for The Athletic.
“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.
Other teams also expressed interest in deGrom. But he made clear that when he signed a five-year, $185 million free-agent contract with the Rangers in December 2022, he intended to see it through,”
The 38-year-old deGrom is in Year 4 of that five-year, $185 million contract, which includes a sixth-year club option, that he signed to join the Rangers as a free agent in 2023. He has a 7-7 record across 21 starts this season, sporting a 3.97 ERA and a 135-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the process.
DeGrom later remained firm in his stance on staying in Texas when asked about it.
“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. 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,”
It’s deGrom’s right to veto a trade, and he used his power to ensure he stayed a Ranger through the deadline. That being said, Texas certainly doesn’t appear close to being a World Series contender again, so he might not be able to have it both ways.
