Braves Nearly Made Blockbuster Spencer Strider Trade
Per multiple reports, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos asked the Texas Rangers about right-hander Jacob deGrom multiple times in the weeks leading up to the deadline, in a deal that would have essentially been a swap of two large contracts, with Strider going the other way.
The Rangers never showed real interest, and deGrom ultimately invoked his no-trade clause to block any deal before it could happen, but the fact Atlanta was willing to include Strider at all says plenty about how the front office currently views him.
A Once-Untouchable Arm Now On The Table
It wasn't long ago that Strider looked like the least likely player in Atlanta's organization to ever be dangled in trade talks.
The Braves signed him to a six-year, $75 million extension after just 33 career appearances back in 2023, calling him a cornerstone of the pitching staff for years to come, with a $22 million club option attached for 2029 that could push the deal's total value past $90 million.
That outlook has changed. Strider is owed roughly $66 million over the remaining life of that contract, and Texas's hesitation about even engaging on a deal reportedly stemmed directly from uncertainty around his arm, which is the kind of red flag that makes moving a big contract pretty complicated.
A Season Wiped Out By Injury
Strider was placed on the 60-day injured list in June with elbow trouble, visited elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister, and underwent testing that didn't show ligament damage, sparing him from a second Tommy John surgery.
Even with that relatively encouraging news, he was shut down from throwing for a month, and by late July was already being described as unlikely to pitch again this season. He finishes the year having made just eight starts, posting a 4.23 ERA across 39 innings.
That absence hit Atlanta hard. Anthopoulos pointed to the loss of both Strider and fellow starter Spencer Schwellenbach to injury during spring training as the reason the Braves' rotation search became such a priority at the deadline in the first place, a search that ultimately produced only right-hander Tyler Mahle as a fourth-starter addition rather than the frontline arm fans had hoped for.
Anthopoulos was careful not to confirm or deny any specifics when asked about the deGrom talks.
"There are various reasons why deals don't get done," he said. "It's not appropriate for me to discuss deals that didn't get done."
But the reporting itself is telling. A team doesn't offer up a former franchise cornerstone unless it's grown very uncertain about his long-term health and fit going forward.
Strider will turn 27 next season with three years plus a club option remaining on his contract. Whether Atlanta revisits trade talks involving him this winter once he's further removed from this year's elbow scare, or simply hopes a full offseason of rest restores him to the pitcher who once looked untouchable, is one of the more significant storylines the Braves will have to sort out before spring training.
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