The Texas Rangers were seemingly ready to sell at the trade deadline, but Jacob deGrom prevented them from going all the way with it.
The Rangers approached deGrom about waiving his no-trade clause, but the star pitcher declined to do so, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. deGrom told the Rangers he wants to remain with the team, seemingly suggesting he will not accept a trade to any destination at this point.
It is unclear which team deGrom might have had the chance to go to, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Atlanta Braves had checked in on his availability.
Braves checked on Jacob deGrom. Rangers listening on everyone. Unknown what chances are,
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 3, 2026
deGrom, 38, is not quite the pitcher he was in his prime. However, he remains effective, and has a 3.96 ERA in 21 starts this year. He still strikes out over a batter an inning, and most importantly, he has largely been able to stay healthy, which has been a recurring issue over the past few years.
Like many American League teams, the Rangers are in a very awkward spot. They sit just 2.5 games out of the AL West lead and 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. However, they have an underwhelming 55-57 record, have lost five in a row, and were just swept by the division rival Houston Astros.
