Jacob deGrom isn’t going anywhere.
The Rangers checked in with their right-handed ace about waiving his no-trade clause, but deGrom said he wanted to stay put, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. With that decision made hours before the deadline, Texas will keep deGrom for the rest of the season.
That clause has been part of the deal since deGrom signed his five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers before the 2023 season. Any trade involving him would have needed his approval. He used that leverage to stay with the club as Texas explored its options on Monday.
The contract runs through 2027, though there’s a club option worth $20 million for 2028. deGrom can also push the salary to $38 million in 2028 if he reaches 160 innings, finishes in the Top 5 of AL Cy Young voting and is healthy.
Texas brought deGrom in as a centerpiece for the 2023 season, and the Rangers did finish by winning the World Series. But deGrom barely got to be part of that run. An elbow injury in May led to Tommy John surgery, and he missed the rest of that year and most of 2024 while rehabbing.
He was back last season and looked like a major piece again. deGrom earned AL comeback player of the year honors, made the All-Star team and went 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA in 30 starts. He piled up 185 strikeouts against 37 walks in 172.2 innings, his first season with at least 100 innings since 2019.
This year has been tougher for the 38-year-old. He’s 7-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 21 games, and like several Rangers starters, he’s had trouble keeping the ball in the park, especially early in games. Even so, the strikeout and walk numbers remain strong: 135 strikeouts and 29 walks in 113.2 innings.
The Rangers were active all day, already moving infielder Josh Smith to the Toronto Blue Jays. Texas also has another pitcher with a no-trade clause in Nathan Eovaldi.
And Corey Seager’s control only gets stronger. He has a limited no-trade clause this season, and once the year ends he gains 10/5 rights, giving him the ability to veto any trade.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Trade Deadline Plans
After months of injuries and illness interrupted his season, Josh Smith is moving off the Rangers roster, and the club is making a very specific kind of move as the trade deadline approaches. Texas is sending Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko, a deal that adds a bullpen arm while subtracting a player who had been part of the 2023 World Series club and won last years American League Silver Slugger as a utility man.
Smith had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, so the writing was on the wall for a player whose value had been built on versatility and steady production. Macko has worked in relief for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 22 games, and the trade gives Texas another left-handed option as it continues shaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Deadline Shift Could Mean More Than A Salary Dump
The trade deadline picture in Texas has changed quickly enough to make the rest of the month feel unsettled. The Rangers have moved from a buyers posture to one that looks more like a sellers, with the front office weighing moves that could trim salary while also taking advantage of whatever value the roster still holds. Even with the season still unfolding, the conversations around the club now sound less like a team pushing in and more like one preparing to reframe its next step.
Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jacob Latz are among the names surfacing in those discussions, a sign that the Rangers are at least listening broadly as they gauge the market. The expectation, though, is that the younger core under team control, including Wyatt Langford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, remains far more likely to stay put, which leaves plenty of room for the kind of deadline maneuvering that could reshape the roster without fully stripping it down. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Shakeup Puts One Veteran In A Brutal Spot
The Rangers bullpen has been in constant motion lately, and the latest move leaves veteran right-hander Chris Martin in a tough spot. Texas activated him from the injured list and then designated him for assignment, a sign of how quickly his season has gone off track amid shoulder issues and uneven performance.
Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]