‘There Simply Is No Other Way’: Texas Rangers Reportedly Exploring Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom Trades Amid $92 Million Payroll Problem
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers will search for trade partners for Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom this offseason, and possibly Nathan Eovaldi, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Texas went 80-82 in 2026 and missed the postseason for the third straight year since winning the 2023 World Series.
Texas entered the final day of the regular season tied with the Houston Astros in the AL West before missing the playoffs. Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said this week that he expects the 2027 payroll to be very similar to 2026’s, around $190 million, and that the roster will look different.
“You oftentimes trade one player to make yourself stronger in two different spots, and that’s what we’re looking to do,” Young said.
All three players have complete no-trade clauses, Grant wrote, and Seager and deGrom are coming off their worst professional seasons. DeGrom is owed $37 million in 2027, and Eovaldi is owed $20 million.
“The Rangers are going to search for trade partners for Corey Seager and Jacob deGrom. Perhaps Nathan Eovaldi, too,” Grant wrote. “There simply is no other way. You can’t put together a competitive team with $190 million in player salaries with three aging players eating up $92 million of that.”
Corey Seager Played Through Elbow Issue During Career-Low Season
Young said Seager played the final few months of the season with an elbow problem, and Seager had surgery on it once the year ended. The Rangers expect him back for spring training.
Seager finished at .227/.312/.424 with 20 home runs and 51 RBI in 102 games, the lowest average of his 12 major league seasons. Injuries held him to 102 games in 2025 too, when he hit .271/.373/.487 with 21 homers.
“Seager missed 60 games this season, 50 last and 40 each of the two before that and underwent surgery to remove a bone chip in his elbow after the 2026 season,” Grant wrote. “Eovaldi missed six weeks each of the last two seasons.”
Seager turns 33 in April. His 10-year, $325 million contract runs through 2031.
Jacob deGrom Passed On Atlanta Braves Trade At Deadline
DeGrom made 31 starts and finished 11-11. Over 162.2 innings, he allowed 139 hits and 76 earned runs with 46 walks and 201 strikeouts, his first 200-strikeout season since 2019. His ERA rose from 2.97 in 2025, when he made the All-Star team, to 4.20.
The Rangers owe deGrom $37 million in 2027. His deal also carries a $20 million club option for 2028.
“DeGrom will be 39 next year, has had two Tommy John surgeries and passed on a trade to Atlanta at the deadline,” Grant wrote.
Eovaldi matched deGrom’s 4.20 ERA and went 11-10. In 145.2 innings across 27 appearances, 23 of them starts, he allowed 142 hits and 68 earned runs with 35 walks and 144 strikeouts.
The two shared Rangers Pitcher of the Year honors in 2025. Eovaldi’s contract runs through 2027.
