Jacob deGrom didn’t just shut down trade chatter at the deadline. He gave the Rangers a message that landed with force inside the clubhouse.
On Monday, after reports surfaced that Texas had approached deGrom about waiving his no-trade clause and that the Atlanta Braves had interest in trying to acquire him, the veteran right-hander said no. Once the deadline passed, he made clear why.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
For manager Skip Schumaker, that message carried more weight than anything he could have delivered himself.
Schumaker, speaking Wednesday on 105.3 The Fan, said the words from deGrom mattered because they came from one of the team’s leaders.
“I've said it a million times that the messaging coming from a player is so much more powerful than a manager,” he said. “As much as I want to think my message works, hearing it from one of your team leaders goes much further.”
The reaction inside the clubhouse made that clear. After Monday, teammates jokingly added “General” to deGrom’s nameplate, a small gesture that showed how the room took his stance.
Schumaker also pointed to how difficult it is to keep a club motivated across a 162-game season. In his view, deGrom’s comments helped.
“When certain things happen that create that for me, man I'm great - it works out great for me,” he said.
The Rangers didn’t exactly ride that momentum immediately. In their next game after the deadline, they committed five errors in a 5-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants. But they answered by winning the next two, taking the series and trimming a game off the Houston Astros’ lead in the AL West.
Texas would also be the final AL wild card team if the playoffs started on Thursday.
Whether deGrom’s words sparked that rebound can’t be proven. But for a Rangers team trying to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2023, when they won the World Series, every little bit helps.
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