Braves Skipper Sends ‘Personal’ Message On 5-Time All-Star’s Trade Refusal

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 22: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Atlanta Braves looks connected earlier the crippled against the San Diego Padres astatine Petco Park connected June 22, 2026 successful San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

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The Atlanta Braves entered the play expecting their starting rotation to beryllium a awesome strength, but injuries person forced the nine to continually reassess its options.

While the squad tried to reenforce its rotation astatine the waste and acquisition deadline, that deadline passed without the frontline summation that galore expected. However, the rotation has begun to look much stable.

“One week aft being criticized for not adding a frontline starter earlier the waste and acquisition deadline, the Braves are being asked whether location mightiness soon beryllium room for Reynaldo Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver successful their starting rotation?” Mark Bowman noted for MLB.com. “It’s not that the Braves abruptly person an overabundance of options for their injury-depleted rotation. It’s conscionable that this rotation that has been described arsenic bladed doesn’t presently person immoderate glaring holes.”

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With a beardown position going into the last playoff push, the Braves tin beryllium optimistic that their pitching extent astatine slightest won’t get immoderate thinner.

But the beforehand agency did get adjacent to landing five-time All-Star ace Jacob deGrom successful a waste and acquisition pinch the Texas Rangers.

“deGrom, 38, exercised the no-trade clause successful his Rangers’ statement to put the kibosh connected waste and acquisition talks that would’ve sent him to Atlanta past week,” Gabriel Burns reported for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The talks were extended capable that the Braves and Rangers had the building of a woody successful place, which is why Texas approached him for approval.”

For Atlanta, losing retired connected deGrom successful a beardown play truthful acold was undoubtedly disappointing. And the Braves mightiness person been amazed to perceive that the pitcher declined because of his dream to “win” pinch the Rangers.

“It’s a small astonishing astatine first,” Braves head Walt Weiss told Burns. “But that’s a individual determination for a player.”

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The Braves now person to find whether their existing pitching options tin transportation them done the remainder of the season.

Lopez and Smith-Shawver could go progressively important if Atlanta continues to get healthy. Rather than instantly uncovering different established starter, the statement whitethorn person an opportunity to spot whether its soul options tin capable the gaps.

That does not erase the disappointment surrounding deGrom. A patient deGrom would person represented a awesome summation to a rotation that has endured sizeable uncertainty.

But arsenic Weiss acknowledged, deGrom made a individual decision, and the Braves person to respect it. The much important mobility whitethorn beryllium whether Atlanta tin beryllium it did not request him arsenic severely arsenic it initially appeared.