The Rangers have acquired left-hander Austin Gomber on a minor league agreement with a Spring Training invitation, per Aram Leighton of Just Baseball.
The 32-year-old southpaw was originally drafted by St. Louis in 2014’s fourth round and debuted in the majors four years later. He joined Colorado as part of the Nolan Arenado blockbuster trade, where he spent the majority of his career. Initially, Gomber appeared to be a serviceable pitcher who could slot into a contending rotation after posting a 3.72 ERA across 104 innings with the Cardinals.
Colorado Tenure and Recent Struggles
Gomber’s results with the Rockies proved inconsistent. After a respectable debut campaign in 2021 (4.53 ERA, 106 ERA+), his performance declined over the next two seasons before partially recovering in 2024. His strikeout rate dropped significantly from 23.2% in 2021 to just 16.3% from 2022-24, while his ground ball percentage also fell from 44.3% to 40.5%.
Last season marked a complete collapse. Gomber’s strikeout rate plunged to 12.5%, his ground ball rate sank to 33.2%, and he allowed a 14.5% barrel rate. Across 12 starts and 57 2/3 innings, he posted a 7.49 ERA and 6.50 FIP before Colorado released him in August. After signing a minor league deal with Chicago, he rebounded nicely at Triple-A Iowa with a 0.47 ERA over 19 innings.
Rangers Rotation Outlook
Texas needs rotation depth even after acquiring MacKenzie Gore. While their projected rotation of Gore, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker looks formidable on paper, both deGrom and Eovaldi carry significant injury concerns, and Rocker hasn’t established himself as a reliable major leaguer.
Gomber will likely compete with Rocker and Jacob Latz for the fifth rotation spot this spring, though he appears to be the long shot. Regardless, he’s positioned to potentially contribute if he wins the competition or if injuries create opportunities during the season.
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