Justin Toscano floated a trade deadline idea that Mets fans are going to loathe: Jacob deGrom in a Braves uniform.
Toscano, who spent years covering the Mets before shifting his focus to Atlanta, went back to the 2022-2023 offseason and recalled a conversation with one executive who believed deGrom would wind up in Texas or Atlanta. That possibility resurfaced in a post on July 22, 2026, when Toscano wrote that deGrom and the Braves had mutual interest once the right-hander reached free agency.
“A few years back, about a year before Jacob deGrom became a free agent, one executive told me he felt deGrom would end up in Texas or Atlanta.
DeGrom and the Braves seemed to have some mutual interest when he finally did become a free agent. Would be a perfect deadline fit.”
The idea lands at a moment when the Texas Rangers are sitting at 51-51 and still leading the AL West, even if only by a sliver. They’re a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners and a bit further in front of the Houston Astros, who have not yet made their move. In a strange American League landscape, the Rangers are still buyers, even if only lightly.
That’s where deGrom enters the conversation. Texas is carrying $37 million owed to him for next season, and if the Rangers had a chance to move that money, they’d probably take it. He’s 38 now and has a 7-6 record with a 3.76 ERA this season, a sign that age is starting to show.
His post-Mets run has been messy and complicated. He returned to Citi Field in 2025, and Jonah Tong was shellshocked before deGrom even threw his first pitch.
The Rangers won the championship in deGrom’s first year, but he was sidelined for that run and much of the season. Across 2023 and 2024, he made just nine starts, and it wasn’t until 2025 that he really started to show his value again.
That year, he went 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA and finished eighth in the Cy Young voting.
His latest outing wasn’t clean either. Coming off a non-IL injury stint, he waited 13 days between appearances and then was knocked out after 4.2 innings with five runs charged to him.
Atlanta, at least on paper, checks a lot of boxes. Toscano pointed out that Florida Man deGrom would be closer to home, and he’d also reunite with former Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Most importantly, he’d land with a team built to win right now.
The Rangers have four games against the Mariners this weekend, and if you don’t want deGrom in a Braves uniform, you’ve got a rooting interest.
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