The Atlanta Braves don’t seem to make sense for Jacob deGrom at this juncture, yet ESPN still expects him to sign with the rival Mets.
After Atlanta extended Charlie Morton, giving them a deep four starting rotation, it didn’t make sense to make Jacob deGrom an offer of over $45 million per season. The Braves need to save that money for a little while, probably, especially with Dansby Swanson in free agency.
Andy Martino and Buster Olney (separately, I might add) reported early in free agency that opposing teams thought the Braves should be favored to sign deGrom. Until now, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic Put it all to bed quickly.
ESPN still believes the Braves will sign Jacob DeGrom
The signing of Atlanta’s Jacob DeGrom would be an absolute shock at this point. If he did in fact leave the Mets, it wouldn’t be for a competitor within his own division. The Braves, as it turns out, have always been the long shot.
However, Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers, among six ESPN analysts, consider Atlanta to be potential suitor for degroom. What are we missing?
However, the Texas Rangers make a lot of sense as a prospect. Rangers were in the market for a big name early in the season, but failed to sign. Instead, they signed Marcus Semin and Corey Seeger.
Clayton Kershaw, a native of Texas, almost signed with the Rangers, but stayed with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead. DeGrom will get the contract he wants and then some from Texas, while Steve Cohen and company rightly have some questions.
The problem with deGrom signing this kind of deal, or long term for that matter, is his health. DeGrom made only 11 appearances last season, and has been dealing with injury concerns for most of his career. When he’s healthy, he’s arguably the best starter in baseball.
But he is rarely healthy for a full season. Atlanta would be wise to stay out of it for the time being.
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