While the Atlanta Braves did make several trades before the deadline on Monday, most agree that Alex Anthopoulos fell well short of expectations. All of Atlanta's moves were minor support moves and, most importantly, they did not go out and get a starting pitcher good enough to start a playoff game. However, it turns out that all of that smoke around Jacob deGrom and Atlanta was true, but the details won't make fans feel any better.
Buzz started gaining momentum over the weekend that deGrom could be traded and that a logical destination for him was the Braves, due to their proximity to deGrom's home in Florida. As more and more pitchers came off the board, it became apparent that it was deGrom or bust.
After the deadline passed, it came out that the Braves DID make a strong push to land deGrom, and the two teams even had a framework of a deal in place. Unfortunately, deGrom opted not to waive his no-trade clause and stayed put in Texas. That was obviously a disaster for Atlanta, but the details after the fact show that the Braves are already trying to move on from Spencer Strider.
Braves tried to send Spencer Strider to Rangers in Jacob deGrom trade, and that raises some real questions
Look, trades fall through all the time. If the Braves wanted to make a deal for a guy that was 100% certain to go through, they shouldn't have targeted a guy like deGrom who possessed a full no-trade clause and who plays half his home games in a no-income-tax state on a massive contract. It was absolutely deGrom's right to exercise his no-trade clause, but it certainly was a gut punch to Atlanta's trade deadline aspirations.
However, according to a report from MLB's Braves reporter Mark Bowman, things were getting interesting in those deGrom trade talks before they collapsed. In the report, Bowman mentions that the deGrom trade would have been a contract swap, and one of the contracts that would have been sent to the Rangers was Spencer Strider.
Now, with Strider likely out for the rest of the year, it isn't all that shocking that Atlanta would be entertaining moving on from him. There is a good chance that Strider will have to be shifted to the bullpen upon his return, and there is no guarantee whatsoever that he will ever look like he did when he came up and immediately became a Cy Young contender again.
That said, it is still wild that the Braves already seem to be looking for an escape hatch from that contract extension they gave Strider. Even though this attempt involving deGrom didn't work out, you can bet that the Braves will keep looking for opportunities to get Strider's money off their books once we get to the offseason. If that sounds like there is a good chance we won't see Strider pitch for Atlanta again, it's because that is exactly what could happen.
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