Carter Baumler is showing this spring what he can do when healthy. The Texas Rangers are cautiously excited by it, the Pittsburgh Pirates have trader’s remorse and the Baltimore Orioles are keeping their fingers crossed they can get him back.
The Rangers are encouraged that the oft-injured right-hander will make the Opening Day roster and become a key pitcher during the 2026 season.
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The Pirates are possibly regretting the trade that sent Baumler to Texas shortly after Pittsburgh picked him in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft last December. They like Jaiker Garcia, the 21-year-old pitching prospect they got in return and may be delighted down the road. He’s a project with command issues, however.
The pitching-needy Orioles hold hope that the Rangers decide not to keep Baumler on their big-league roster all season. Any Rule 5 selection must stay with their current big-league team all year or be offered back to their 2025 organization for $50,000.
MESA, AZ: Manager Skip Schumaker of the Texas Rangers makes a pitching change against the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium on February 26, 2026. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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Listening to Rangers manager Skip Schumaker, that’s not likely to happen.
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“We got him for a reason,” he told reporters early in spring camp. “We believe that he can get outs at the Major League level. I want him to throw as many strikes, fill up the zone as much as he can.
“Obviously he’s got a real power curveball. He’s got real power on his fastball, it’s stuff that we don’t really have in the mix of the potential bullpen construction. The kid wants it.”
Baumler, 24, hasn’t allowed an earned run in five outings. He has struck out six over 6 2/3 innings, walked two and yielded four hits. It is hardly a sample size yet the Rangers have been impressed by Baumler’s coachability, poise, side work, velocity and spin rate.
They also employ a key figure in Baumler’s comeback from injury. Their team physician is Dr. Keith Meister, who performed Tommy John surgery on Baumler’s elbow in November 2020.
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Unexpected Rocky Road
Baumler held all the cards entering the 2020 MLB Draft as a football and baseball star in Des Moines, IA. He had already signed a letter of commitment to play at Texas Christian and used that to get a big signing bonus.
Several MLB teams were interested after watching him in the 2020 Perfect Game Showcase. Only the Orioles were willing to meet his monetary demand. He dropped him in the draft to the fifth round were not willing to pay to keep him from going to college ball. Picked at No. 133 overall, he got $1.5 million from Baltimore to sign. That was more than 31 of the 32 picks immediately ahead of him received.
All was good, until Baumler felt tightness while warming up in an instructional camp game that October. He had torn the ulnar collateral ligament. He didn’t take the mound against a hitter again until March 2022.
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He had a 1.54 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings at Class A Delmarva when he felt soreness in his shoulder. He didn’t pitch after July 7, and had surgery that October. He pitched only 17 innings in 2023 and went to the Arizona Fall League for work. He was encouraged, but then pitched only 20 1/3 innings in 2024.
Last year, despite being out a month with back soreness, Baumler worked a career-high 39 2/3 innings. That gave him 88 2/3 total for his minor-league career. Overall, he has a 7-1 record, 2 saves, 3.04 ERA, 104 strikeouts and allowed 63 hits and 40 walks.
Rule 5 To Hall Of Fame
The ultimate rags-to-riches story has happened. Christy Mathewson, Roberto Clemente and Hack Wilson excelled after being picked up as Rule 5 eligible.
NEW YORK: \Baltimore Orioles rookie Anthony Santander hits a line drive against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 16, 2017. Baltimore selected Santander in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft from the Cleveland Indians. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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Many others such as Johan Santana, George Bell, Josh Hamilton, Paul Blair and Anthony Santander became all-stars.
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Shane Smith was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Rule 5 and had a nice 2025 season for the Chicago White Sox.
Brett de Geus was the last Rangers pick to make the Opening Day roster in 2021. The right-hander was the No. 2 overall Rule 5 choice from the Los Angeles Dodgers and struggled to an 8.44 ERA in 19 games for Texas.
Baumler And The Texas Rangers
The Rangers have rebuilt their bullpen, so why not try a guy with a top-level pedigree and rebuilt arm?
“We’re evaluating, can he go one-plus innings, can we put him in an inning where it’s dirty,” Schumaker told Matt Postins of SI.com earlier this week. “Hopefully we can get more answers in the next couple of days and really make a decision. But he’s doing everything he can to make the roster.”
NEW YORK: Robert Garcia of the Texas Rangers pitches against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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Robert Garcia claimed the closer’s role a year ago in Texas. Veterans Alexis Díaz and Chris Martin have experience in the role. Baumler can join Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis, Cole Winn and Josh Sborz in setup roles.
The Texas Rangers and Baumler have little to lose and much to gain by giving him a chance.