He ticked the box. Then said no.
Jacob deGrom could have packed his bags for Atlanta. He stayed in Texas instead. At the deadline, the Rangers had a deal lined up to send him to the Braves, and the two-time Cy Young winner waved it off with his no-trade clause. End of story, per The Athletic.
Saturday he takes the mound against the Baltimore Orioles in Arlington. That is a statement as much as a start.
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A clubhouse that got the message
Players notice when a guy stays put with the door wide open. “He wants to be here with us,” closer Jacob Latz said after Friday’s 2-1 win over Baltimore. “That meant a lot when he told us. It let us play freer.”
The Rangers hold the third and final wild card spot in the American League, a game and a half behind the West-leading Astros. Three straight wins in the bank. deGrom can make it four.
There is a blemish, mind you. Last Saturday he coughed up five runs in 3 1/3 innings against Houston, a 5-4 loss. The kind of outing you shrug off fast when you own a rotation like his.
Baltimore is his favorite target
The Orioles? deGrom feasts on them. Five wins in six meetings, a 1.88 ERA, one lone no-decision back on March 31. Near-total control.
Across from him, Kyle Bradish (7-10, 3.79) is trying to snap a two-game skid. His last start against the Rangers came more than three years ago. Baltimore trails Texas by two games in the wild card race, so this one carries weight. The kind of night where turning down a move can look pretty smart.
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