The Braves’ pursuit of pitching at the trade deadline apparently got a lot closer to Jacob deGrom than most people realized.
After the deadline passed, Atlanta Braves President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos said the club viewed only one other starting pitcher besides Tarik Skubal as an “impact starter,” though he didn’t name that arm at the time. Now, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Braves and Texas Rangers had a trade lined up for deGrom, with the deal depending on whether he wanted to remain in Texas or waive his no-trade clause to head to Cobb County.
Rosenthal cited two anonymous baseball executives in the report and wrote that Atlanta was prepared to absorb a meaningful chunk of deGrom’s contract. The relevant passage from his Trade Deadline aftermath story says:
For deGrom, [Anthopoulos] was willing to take on a sizable portion of the pitcher’s remaining salary - about $11 million this season and $37 million next season.…Two executives said a trade almost certainly was in place. The execs, granted anonymity for their candor, pointed out that teams do not approach players about waiving no-trade clauses so close to the deadline unless something is done.
The Braves were also in the mix on right-hander José Soriano and other starting pitchers, according to a person briefed on those talks. But Rosenthal’s reporting makes clear that Atlanta didn’t view those arms as true difference-makers, or even as upgrades over what it already had, unless they were Skubal or deGrom.
That part of the story helps explain why the Braves came out of deadline week the way they did. If the club was operating in a “deGrom or bust” lane, then landing Soriano after missing on the bigger prize fits the picture. It also shows just how aggressive Atlanta was willing to be, especially with the salary commitment tied to deGrom.
Rosenthal also detailed what the Braves were willing to send out for Tarik Skubal, and by his account, the asking price was steep. For anyone frustrated by how the deadline unfolded, the reporting at least clarifies the front office’s thinking: Atlanta went in chasing impact, not depth.
Now the question is whether the Braves’ patience pays off. Their starters turned in strong performances earlier this week, and the results elsewhere around the league only sharpened the conversation around what Atlanta passed on. For now, though, the deadline picture is clearer: the Braves were seriously in on deGrom, they pushed hard for elite pitching, and they walked away with Soriano when the bigger swing didn’t come together.
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