The Texas Rangers came up short in a depressing AL West race, finishing 80-82 — a game behind the 81-81 Houston Astros, who became the worst division champs of all time. That cannot inspire much confidence in the Rangers' future. This team has gotten progressively older and thinner, with the rotation looking especially suspect behind 38-year-old Jacob deGrom.

Texas famously tried to trade deGrom to his hometown Atlanta Braves at the deadline, only for the two-time Cy Young winner to invoke his no-trade clause. That has not, however, prevented new trade speculation from cropping up. deGrom only has one more guaranteed year on his contract, worth $37 million. He has a $20 million club option for 2028, his age-40 season. Should deGrom decide he wants to spend his twilight years in a more competitive environment, here are the most realistic destinations — ranked.

8. Philadelphia Phillies

It's been a while since the Philadelphia Phillies made a truly major splash, the Jesus Luzardo trade notwithstanding (and Luzardo was never expected to be this dominant). The Phillies tried and failed to land Bo Bichette last winter, but otherwise Dave Dombrowski has shown himself content to run it back.

Perhaps that strategy comes to a long overdue conclusion ahead of the 2027 lockout. The Phillies are on their last legs with this core. The rotation is not a primary area of need, but Zack Wheeler is nearing retirement and Aaron Nola is flirting with a precipitous decline. There is also zero depth to this rotation; the Phillies are an injury away from disaster. deGrom is probably too expensive and, frankly, too old to be their solution, but Dombrowski is known to throw caution to the wind in an act of desperation.

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

Do the Los Angeles Dodgers "need" Jacob deGrom? Of course not. This only really becomes an option if Tarik Skubal signs elsewhere in free agency. Need has never really guided L.A.'s decision-making, but even the Dodgers have a spending limit. deGrom's contract — even on a one-year deal — becomes prohibitive if it's paired with a monster nine-figure deal for Skubal.

That said, L.A. might not feel great about Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan as their back-end starters, and depth is a huge concern given the injury histories for Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. So, if Skubal does officially sign in New York or Toronto, the Dodgers probably move up these rankings. If there's a team that can convince deGrom to waive his no-trade clause, it's the presumptive World Series favorites.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks sit precariously on the bubble between contention and, well, not contention. As rumors swirl around Ketel Marte's future, it's clear the D'backs want to rock the boat. Their rotation needs a major facelift. Corbin Burnes' return should help a great deal, but Eduardo Rodriguez is due for massive regression in 2027, while Brandon Pfaadt and Merrill Kelly are hard to trust.

Zac Gallen's departure in free agency should clear up some money; if the Diamondbacks can convince deGrom to waive his no-trade clause, a partnership with Burnes in the desert ought to hold some appeal.

5. Chicago Cubs

Methinks deGrom's contract is ultimately considered too steep for this Chicago Cubs front office — even as a one-year commitment. That said, Chicago is now forced to reckon with a Brewers World Series victory, which elevates the pressure on Jed Hoyer and the front office.

The Cubs rotation is not as dire as it's made out to be. Justin Steele should start the 2027 campaign healthy, with Cade Horton on track for a return at some point. Edward Cabrera is due for better health and better production, too, while Ben Brown flashed massive upside this past season. That said, the Cubs are also potentially losing all of Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to free agency, so their are bullets to replace. deGrom is still a proven No. 1 ace, even pushing 40.

4. Boston Red Sox

Basically all season, it felt like Sonny Gray and the Boston Red Sox were a match made in heaven. After a disappointing first-round exit, however, a massive rift appeared. The Red Sox yanked Gray early from his Game 2 start against New York, and the veteran right-hander expressed his thinly-veiled frustration to the postgame media scrum. Gray is a free agent, and the odds of a reunion feel suspect at best.

Should the Red Sox lose Gray, their rotation loses substantial depth. The four-man run of Garrett Crochet, Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez and Jake Bennett is solid, but the Red Sox need a fifth starter. Plus, Boston sacrificed its best pitching prospects at the trade deadline. A short stint for deGrom, with a chance to compete the ever-changing American League landscape, could be just what the doctor ordered in Beantown.

3. San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres made the somewhat surprising decision to opt out of Nick Pivetta's 2027 club option, which means he joins Michael King, Casey Mize and Robbie Ray in the free agent pool. San Diego could bring back both Pivetta and King, at the very least, but there's uncertainty now. The rotation in their stead — headlined by Joe Musgrove, who spent all of 2026 on the IL — leaves much to be desired.

San Diego has a new ownership group that's pushing to contend. Meanwhile, A.J. Preller is baseball's most aggressive GM, with a real affinity for star-power in all its forms. The Padres would need to convince deGrom that winning in San Diego is feasible, but the no team gave Milwaukee more trouble in the postseason. The Padres have made a habit of feeling like the second-best team in the National League by the end of October. Perhaps deGrom believes he can swing the pendulum in their favor.

2. Atlanta Braves

There's no reason the Braves and Rangers can't revist deGrom conversations over the next month if the veteran right-hander changes his mind about a potential relocation. Atlanta is his hometown team, after all, and the Braves present as clear a path to contention as any team. The Braves lineup is due for some positive regression, while the rotation is a clear area of need. The group behind Chris Sale becomes much more fearsome with deGrom involved.

The initial trade offer was centered on Spencer Strider, who'd give the Rangers a bit more longevity to plan around, assuming he can overcome injuries. That would leave the Braves hopeful that their batallion of young pitchers — AJ Smith-Shawver, J.R. Ritchie, Owen Murphy, a healthy Spencer Schwellenbach — can take the next step to fill out the back half of a needy rotation. deGrom does not solve every problem for the Braves, but he gives them a much stronger foundation, plus protection in case more injury issues crop up.

1. New York Mets

If deGrom does decide to move on from Texas, would anything feel more right than a return to the New York Mets? He spent nine years in Queens, where he made four All-Star teams and won the Cy Young award twice in a row (sandwiched between three other top-10 finishes in Cy Young voting). The Mets are desperate to improve an ailing roster around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. A team with this much talent and this much spending power shouldn't finish dead last in the division. There's a world in which deGrom comes home, spearheads that turnaround, and retires on top of the world.

Mets fans will wonder if there's a universe in which both deGrom and Tarik Skubal make their way to Queens next season. If any team has the money and the motivation to make such bold moves in succession, it's probably New York. Even if deGrom is the alternative to Skubal, which feels more likely, he's a great mentor figure for Nolan McLean and a talented young rotation. The Mets are capable of climbing back to contention next season. If deGrom feels that way, this reunion becomes a question of 'why not?'