Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom is already surfacing in offseason trade chatter after spending the 2026 deadline with his name in the rumors and ultimately remaining with Texas.
This time, the team tied to him is in the AL Central: the Tigers.
MLB writer Zachary D. Rymer floated the idea of Detroit pursuing deGrom as a possible alternative to a long-term pursuit of its own former ace. “And if they'd rather trade for one expensive year of a two-time Cy Young winner instead of trying to re-sign their former two-time Cy Young winner to what promises to be an historic contract, they should find out if the Rangers are willing to budge on deGrom, who has given them a 3.44 ERA since his arrival in 2023,” Miller wrote about the Tigers.
The fit is easy to understand. Detroit needs help in the starting rotation, and deGrom would instantly qualify as a major addition for a club trying to get back into the postseason picture next season. The connection looks even more logical after the Tigers traded both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize ahead of this year’s deadline.
deGrom’s 2026 season, though, was not especially clean. He finished 11-11 with a 4.20 ERA across 31 games for the Rangers. But there’s plenty of reason to think he could rebound, especially given what he did in 2025, when he went 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA for Texas.
The résumé still carries plenty of weight here. With two Cy Young Awards and a track record that makes it hard to write him off, deGrom would give Detroit a bold swing if the Tigers decide to explore the market. Whether they actually take that step this offseason remains to be seen.
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