The Rangers acquired right-handed pitcher Carter Baumler from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Jaiker Garcia and cash considerations. The Pirates selected Baumler, originally from Baltimore Orioles, in the first round of the Rule 5 draft before they flipped him. The Rangers did not select anyone with their own pick. <\/p>\n
Rangers<\/p>\n
By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Baumler, 23, is a former fifth-round pick whose career has this far been limited due to injuries. He was initially labeled as a potential \u201cfast riser\u201d when the Orioles drafted him out of Dowling Catholic (Ia.) before injuries \u2014 including Tommy John surgery five years ago and a shoulder procedure three years ago \u2014 held him to just 88 2\/3 innings in four professional seasons. <\/p>\n He finished last season healthy, reached Double-A Aberdeen and yielded a 2.04 ERA in a career-high 39 2\/3 innings. His fastball sat in the mid 90\u2019s, touched 98 mph and had \u201celite vertical break\u201d according to Baseball America. <\/p>\n The Rangers believe it can play in the bullpen. Baumler must remain on the major league roster for the entirety of the season and, if he doesn\u2019t, must pass through outright waivers before he is offered back to his original team. Right-handed pitcher Brett de Gues<\/a>, in 2021, is the last Rule 5 selection that made the team\u2019s opening day roster. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re taking a flier on the talent,\u201d Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young<\/a> said Wednesday afternoon. \u201cWe have a long history with the player going back to the amateur draft. We feel like he\u2019s the kind of profile of player that could potentially stick in these situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Baumler is the only player that the Rangers added to their major league roster at the winter meetings. Veteran infielder Tyler Wade, whom the Rangers signed to a minor league contract Monday<\/a>, was the club\u2019s only other transaction. <\/p>\n The Rangers had already made one of the biggest trades of this off-season when they shipped second baseman Marcus Semien to the New York Mets<\/a> in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo two weeks ago. They were not expected to be players for designated hitter Kyle Schwarber or first baseman Pete Alonso, anyways, before the two inked more than $300 million combined in contracts to anchor the vast majority of league wide headlines. <\/p>\n The team\u2019s front office maintained that the week was productive despite the dearth of transactions. Young said that the relief pitcher market moved faster than the Rangers anticipated, that they\u2019ve parsed through a thin crop of available catchers<\/a> and are \u201cengaged on a number of things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve done our work and kind of understand those markets,\u201d Young said. \u201cNow we\u2019re trying to find out who\u2019s going to slot where and how we\u2019re going to allocate our dollars to get the best players that we feel like fit our roster.\u201d<\/p>\n General manager Ross Fenstermaker said that the Rangers have \u201cstayed engaged\u201d with a number of their own free agents. The bullpen \u2014 which must be rebuilt after right-hander Shawn Armstrong and left-handers Hoby Milner and Danny Coulombe reached free agency \u2014 was most impacted by internal departures. <\/p>\n They avoided another Wednesday afternoon when Rangers infield prospect Cam Cauley<\/a> was not selected in the Rule 5 draft. Cauley, the club\u2019s No. 17 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was not added to the club\u2019s 40-man roster prior to the Nov. 18 deadline and was considered to be the most-likely Rangers minor league player to be selected if any were. <\/p>\n The Rangers selected the Houston-area native in the third round of the 2022 MLB draft and signed him to an over-slot $1 million bonus. His speed and defense are desired traits but his offensive capabilities remained too inconsistent to garner protection from the draft. <\/p>\n Cauley has slashed .240\/.317\/.403 in 409 career minor league games and averaged nearly a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He\u2019s stolen 27 or more bases in each of the last four seasons, though, and eclipsed double-digit home runs in each of his last three. His .773 OPS, 15 home runs and 26 doubles were all career highs last season at Double-A Frisco. <\/p>\n He was considered among the system\u2019s better defenders and played both the infield and outfield at Frisco last season. <\/p>\n He didn\u2019t catch, though, and he\u2019s not much of a bullpen option. <\/p>\n They\u2019ll still need to find that elsewhere. <\/p>\n The Rangers have needs in the bullpen and a desperate need for catching. Could the club address those needs with a Rule 5 draft target?<\/p>\n Boston, Atlanta and the Yankees have all inquired about the All-Star shortstop.<\/p>\n The Rangers put together a competent bullpen with very limited resources last season and will have to do so again for 2026.<\/p>\n Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765410132_315_UOTESUJQNFFDLO4Q4U3NZHCWTU.jpg\")
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