There’s nothing officially linking the Chicago Cubs to Jacob deGrom.
But it’s worth considering, as the MLB offseason gets rolling for all but the four teams still alive, how the Cubs could make sense for the Texas Rangers‘ right-handed pitcher.
There are really two components at play here: Would the Rangers trade deGrom? And would the Cubs want him?
Both answers appear to be yes, although there’s also a deGrom variable that matters.
deGrom has a no-trade clause, which means he can veto any deal. If he doesn’t want to leave Texas, then there’s nothing more that can happen here.
But if the Rangers can find a spot for deGrom to go that he is amenable to, then a deal could work. The Cubs have the need, for sure.
Rangers Trading Jacob deGrom?
Some reports indicated that the Rangers already tried to trade deGrom before the 2026 MLB trade deadline in August, but that deGrom wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause.
They’ll surely try again. He has just one year remaining on his deal.
“The Rangers reportedly approached deGrom about waiving his full no-trade clause at the deadline, but he declined,” Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter wrote in a new article on Monday. “That doesn’t mean he won’t change his tune if the club starts retooling this offseason, and entering the final season of his five-year, $185 million deal, his contract is not the hurdle it would have been a year or two ago.”
The final year on deGrom’s deal will pay him $37 million. That’s certainly not cheap, but for one year, a number of teams could probably handle it.
Cubs and Jacob deGrom
So this brings us to the idea that the Cubs could fit deGrom.
Chicago spent the entire 2026 season in a never-ending spiral of pitching injuries. They could never really come to grips with their rotation because it was never really healthy.
The Cubs will enter the 2027 season with plenty of uncertainty, because a bunch of arms will be trying they have no ill effects of injury troubles.
But more than that, the Cubs are also set to lose pitchers. The trio of Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd are all free agents.
Analysts have suggested Boyd is the most likely to return to Wrigley Field, but if the Cubs lose two of those guys (or even all three), they’ll need some kind of replacement.
deGrom would be a big swing, but with just one expensive year remaining on his deal at his age, he likely wouldn’t cost a fortune in prospect return to the Rangers.
The Cubs aim to contend ever year, and they’ll soon officially have the 2026 NL MVP on their roster in Pete Crow-Armstrong. They can’t afford to wait around. Getting deGrom would be quite the statement of intent.
Rangers’ Jacob deGrom Trade Update Has Cubs Possibility