Report: Jacob deGrom, Joe Ryan unlikely to be traded this season

As the Toronto Blue Jays eye pitching upgrades ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, most expect general manager Ross Atkins to aggressively target a front-line starting pitcher over the next few weeks. But the market for impact starters — or lack thereof — may alter those plans.

Two-plus weeks away from that deadline, several teams are still hovering around the playoff bubble line, clinging to their slim post-season hopes. In all likelihood, those clubs will probably wait until the last possible moment before drawing a line in the sand regarding their fate, though even the ones who do sell may do so conservatively.

By the sounds of it, odds are the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins could be included in that mix, both of whom are reportedly unlikely to part with their top starting pitchers this season.

Jacob deGrom

According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, multiple sources don’t expect Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young to sell at this year’s trade deadline, despite the club’s underperforming 48-49 record at the All-Star break.

As Heyman wrote, that likely means deGrom — whose five-year, $185-million contract includes a full no-trade clause — probably isn’t being moved.

The 37-year-old has been sensational this season, returning from his second career Tommy John surgery to sport a 2.32 ERA and 3.27 FIP with 113 strikeouts in 19 starts, earning his fifth All-Star selection and first since 2021. He’s already logged more innings (112.1) than he has in any other season since ’19.

Acquiring deGrom, who’s signed through 2027 and holds a $20 million club option for ’28, would be a massive game-changer for the Blue Jays, though it’d surely come at a premium. Unless the Rangers fall completely out of the AL wild-card race, however, it doesn’t appear the future Hall of Famer will even be made available via trade.

Joe Ryan

There’s a strong indication that Ryan won’t be put on the market, either, per FanSided’s Robert Murray.

The Twins haven’t begun discussing the 29-year-old’s fate with interested suitors, according to Murray’s report, nor have they told opposing clubs that they plan to sell by July 31. Considering they’ll begin the second half just two games below .500 at 47-49, they’re probably planning to take this decision down to the wire.

In any case, there doesn’t appear to be much urgency to move Ryan, at least as of now. Perhaps that changes between now and the end of the month. Or maybe Minnesota’s front office receives an offer they can’t refuse from an all-in suitor. But they could always revisit this conversation over the off-season. After all, the 2025 All-Star has two additional seasons of club control beyond this current one before reaching free agency.

There’s no denying that Ryan would be an ideal fit for Toronto’s rotation, though, positioning the right-hander to help form a new core moving forward with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer free agents this winter, along with Kevin Gausman and José Berríos (opt out) next off-season.

In 19 games (18 starts) this season, the coveted hurler owns a career-best 2.72 ERA and 3.20 FIP, posting a 22.9-per-cent strikeout-to-walk rate difference across 109.1 innings. He’s also been worth 2.6 fWAR, putting him on pace to set a new career-high in his fifth major league season.