It was a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Texas Rangers, largely because one of their aces didn't want to go anywhere.
The Atlanta Braves were poised to work out a trade for Jacob deGrom, but he showed no willingness to budge on his no-trade clause, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Monday night.
Earlier, Rosenthal reported that the Rangers approached deGrom about trades, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner declined to approve any deals. Teams besides Atlanta reportedly expressed interest in deGrom, too.
"I want to be here," deGrom said Monday before the deadline, according to Jason Foster of MLB.com. "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. 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."
Texas signed deGrom to a five-year, $185-million contract that included a full no-trade clause in 2023. He's made just 60 starts over that span after undergoing elbow surgery early in his first season with the Rangers, but he's looked like his old self for much of the last two years. The 38-year-old owns a 3.96 ERA and 1.14 WHIP along with a 10.7 K/9 over 21 starts in 2026.
The Rangers apparently fielded offers for several of their veteran stars who owned no-trade protection despite the team sitting 1.5 games out of a playoff spot. Texas also spoke to shortstop Corey Seager and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi about waiving their no-trade rights, Rosenthal reported. Seager and Eovaldi are also still with the Rangers.
Texas ended up making just two trades leading into the deadline. The team added catcher Logan O'Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth from the Los Angeles Angels and sent utility player Josh Smith to Toronto for left-hander Adam Macko in a three-player deal.
