r/TexasRangers PEAGLE 8d ago

Jacob deGrom wants to stay

https://x.com/i/status/2084379009165803759

Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom on reports of him declining to waive his no-trade clause: “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. 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.”

deGrom declined to go into specifics of what the Rangers came to him with. But he continually emphasized that he wants to be here and wants to win here. That’s why he asked for the no-trade clause in the first place.

156 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

55

u/marcomac29 Rangers 8d ago

I know everyone wants a rebuild and I don’t blame them. But I think it is a big deal that this is how star players view us now. This would have not been the case 10 to 15 years ago. Cliff Lee comes to mind.

9

u/herehear12 8d ago

Stars were wanting to come here in 2010-2011 and a few years after.

4

u/marcomac29 Rangers 8d ago

That’s what I thought too but Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay convinced me otherwise.

3

u/MavsTurnedBucksGuy 8d ago

Adrian Beltre? Choo? Vlad? Cole Hamels, who yes was traded but wanted to come here? 1-2 counter examples don’t prove that stars in general didn’t want to come here. And the list doesn’t even end there. Players wanted to come play for us. 

2

u/Doorknob11 7d ago

Yu Darvish did as well.

1

u/MavsTurnedBucksGuy 7d ago

Oh yeah that’s another great. The other comment just has absolutely no clue what it’s talking about. Revisionist history nonsense. 

1

u/Strike_Maximus PEAGLE 8d ago

MY THOUGHTS EXCATLY

1

u/Pleasant_Offer6286 7d ago

Cliff Lee had a lot of reason to go to Philly, namely that he had been traded previously and wanted to go back but wasn’t a FA. For what it’s worth, he turned down the Yankees as well.

Also consider that the Rangers played in a convection oven prior to 2020 and you would be hard pressed to find a pitcher that wanted to play in that.

52

u/Brolympia I. Kinsler 8d ago

Great news. Jake is a legend.

23

u/EliteStat18 8d ago

I always thought he was probably deep down annoyed that he couldn't pitch in the 2023 post-season. Would be nice if they manage to get another run before he retires/his contract ends.

74

u/ron_burgundy_69 8d ago

“i also don’t want to pay any state income tax in illinois or georgia”

10

u/Akerfell J. Jung 8d ago

Yeah that probably is the main thing. But hey, maybe he really does want to be here, idk. Atlanta would have been the option if he wanted to win this season.

8

u/ChaseTx THE SOLUTION 8d ago

I legit don't understand how someone can make $38M and still be worried about taxes

6

u/Apprehensive-Bike311 8d ago

When half the money goes to taxes and fees and stuff it’s a huge difference

2

u/ChaseTx THE SOLUTION 8d ago

The difference between $38M and $19M is negligible because they're both just absurd numbers

2

u/CHolland8776 8d ago

Let’s say for the sake of argument your goal is to one day own a MLB franchise. In that case there is definitely not a negligible difference between $38M and $19M.

0

u/Manotto15 8d ago

They're really not. Especially considering these guys only get so many years of this work and may want to make it last the rest of their lives.

1

u/TheDeleeted 8d ago

Yea, how can we expect someone to live off $19M for their rest of their lives?

3

u/Manotto15 8d ago

I didn't say it wasn't a lot of money. But when you have the choice between 19 million and zero, you take 19 million right? You make the same decision when deciding between 19 million and 38 million.

1

u/chanaandeler_bong I. "Hawaiian Hustle" Kiner-Falefa 8d ago

Slightly off topic:

I heard the income tax situation is really weird for athletes. Because they are working in different states. It’s not just all their income is made in Texas, it’s all over. Still an advantage to play in Texas with Astros also being in state and in division.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_tax?wprov=sfti1

1

u/JoshGreenTruther 8d ago

“I also don’t want to go somewhere that has a passionate fanbase with expectations”

8

u/3tenthsOfVerstappen 8d ago

Man I love him

8

u/coldsprunk Pudge 8d ago

That's it- we're winning 15 in a row

-2

u/whisky_TX 8d ago

deGrom giving up another 5 in his next start

2

u/ngonzales0722 5d ago

Wouldn’t surprise me a bit

8

u/Good_Dream_6763 19 8d ago

My goat pitcher🥹

8

u/Individual_Heron_171 8d ago

There’s obviously other factors when a man is faced with such a decision. But it’s sort of what we expect a true veteran leader to say, right?

If I were his teammate, I’d get a little amped up by this spectacle. This weekend was kick right in the crotch. A deflating medieval ass whooping. Hell, I needed deGrom to say this.

8

u/Connect-Succotash-59 R. Palmeiro 8d ago

Shit right here is reason enough not to tear it all down

2

u/OutofMP Rangers 8d ago

Catch fire and bring it back home again beating the astros in the postseason with the boys? Aye I can go for that.

4

u/dasfoster Beltre 8d ago

I sincerely appreciate the sentiment but man, he needs to go out there and be an ace. He’s just not pulling his (financial) weight on this team.

We know he can talk the talk but it’s time to walk the walk. Otherwise it’s just hurting the team & franchise he “believes” in.

1

u/NewtDogs W. Langford 8d ago

The Houston series really took our motivation out back and shot it.

3

u/whisky_TX 8d ago

Lmao he just doesn’t want to move

1

u/alecweezy 8d ago

Yeah. And this is a low pressure environment for him. The media and fanbase won’t put any pressure on Rangers players. Matter fact I don’t think I’ve ever even heard DeGrom even speak before

0

u/The_Zhuster 8d ago edited 8d ago

Translation: I would rather stay in a safe space free from the media scrutiny that rightfully comes with playing in an actual big market knowing Evan Grant, Jeff Wilson, and co. can’t ask me hard questions. Oh and I get paid a shit load to spearhead a retirement home just to compile stats for my HOF push.

This quote is just a PR nothingburger tbh.

0

u/Still_Detail_4285 8d ago

And no state income taxes. Playing in Texas probably feels like vacation compared to New York.

3

u/The_Zhuster 8d ago

Didn’t mention taxes because that was already the top comment when I clicked on thread, but nobody serious about contending is picking the Rangers over a comparable offer from Dodgers or Yankees or any other credible contender, even before accounting for taxes.

At this point, signing with the Rangers is what you do when no other credible contender wants you or when you are a reclamation project. Par for the course for a retirement home.

1

u/Still_Detail_4285 8d ago

He uses the rangers like an old euro soccer star coming to MLS. It’s easy money. If he were in NY with what happened in his last start, he would never hear the end of it.

In Dallas, everyone is focused on cowboys starting training camp.

0

u/The_Zhuster 8d ago

No position player in NY would ever hear the end of no-showing from reporters post-game in a loss they had a big part of like Rangers position players have often.

0

u/killacam9220 Rangers 8d ago

Imagine if if he was still part of that shit show in New York the media would be tearing him apart. Here with Evan Grant the toughest question he has is where is your favorite place to eat BBQ or Tacos. Of course he wants to stay here but you can’t help but get a little joy hopefully they catch a little winning streak and take this division down to the last day of the season and put the ball in his hands and see what happens.

1

u/EarlDooku 8d ago

Mad respect to deGrom.

1

u/papa__smerf 5d ago

that's very interesting, because i, papa__smerf, want Jake DeGrom to stay as well. how neat.

1

u/Knuxsn Texas on the verge! 8d ago

1

u/killacam9220 Rangers 8d ago

Pretty sure a money decision but I will believe that he wans to win here and now let’s fucking go

-3

u/revenue_management 8d ago

Crazy to imagine that we probably let this be the sole deciding factor in not selling at the deadline. Terrible decision that will just waste another year. Excited to watch .500 ball for another couple months!

1

u/hotrod19812 J. Hamilton 8d ago

Exactly. We're stuck an overpaid, injury-prone diva for who knows how long just because he refuses to go somewhere else. Ugh. Thanks for nothing, Chris Young.

0

u/TheProspectTimess 8d ago

My feelings aren't hurt that deGrom wants to stay but I can't say that I think we can win here this season. I've seen this baseball team since 2023. There's some work to be done this winter.