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After resurrecting his career with the Texas Rangers last season, outfielder Carlos Gomez agreed to terms to stay with the club on Monday.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball first reported the news, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post added it was a one-year deal worth $11.5 million. 

After the Houston Astros acquired Gomez in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2015 trade deadline, the Dominican Republic native spent the first half of 2016 with the ‘Stros.

Gomez struggled to the tune of a .210 batting average with five home runs, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 295 at-bats, however, which prompted Houston to designate him for assignment.

The two-time All-Star then signed a minor league deal with the Rangers, and he was called up shortly thereafter to aid Texas’ short-handed outfield.

Gomez was excellent in 33 regular-season games with the Rangers, as he hit .284 with eight homers, 24 RBI and five steals. He also started for the team during the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .154 with one RBI and one stolen base in three contests.

Following the Rangers’ elimination, Gomez spoke glowingly about his time with the team and expressed a desire to re-sign in free agency, according to Josh Clark of CBS DFW:

This month and a half changed my career completely. I can’t wait to get home and continue to make this approach to next year. Of course I want to come back. If I had (this much) fun, that I enjoyed it so much for like a month and a half … I can’t imagine it for 180 something days. I put this in God’s hands … and they know that I love it here. I’m very loyal, it’s not always about money. I have money. It’s about enjoying the job that I love.

In 2015 and most of 2016, Gomez looked nothing like the player who emerged as one of the best all-around outfielders in baseball with the Brewers in 2013 and 2014.

Gomez put up big numbers in both of those campaigns, particularly in 2013 when he hit .284 with 24 home runs, 73 RBI and 40 stolen bases, all of which were career highs. He also won the Gold Glove and finished a solid ninth in National League MVP voting.

In stints with the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Brewers, Astros and Rangers, Gomez has shown flashes of brilliance and five-tool potential.

He has struggled to parlay that into consistent production for much of his career, but he appeared to regain his stride late last season.

The 31-year-old can be a game-changer when he is locked in, and that was apparent down the stretch in 2016.

Gomez and the Rangers appeared to be a match made in heaven last season, and there was mutual interest from both sides to see how much the partnership can potentially accomplish together over the course of an entire year in 2017.

The 2016 campaign was a tale of two seasons for Gomez, but if he is able to channel what made him successful late in the year, he could prove to be one of the best value signings of the offseason.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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It didn’t take long for Carlos Gomez to find a new home. 

Saturday, the Texas Rangers struck a minor league deal with Gomez after he was placed on release waivers by the Houston Astros, according to MLB.com’s TR Sullivan. Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirmed the news and noted Gomez will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday.

Gomez, 30, is hitting .210/.272/.322. He split the 2015 campaign between Houston and Milwaukee, coming over in a midseason trade for the Astros’ postseason push. 

The 2016 campaign has been largely miserable, with Gomez still dealing with the aftereffects of a hip injury that bothered him last season. His numbers in most categories are on pace to make this the worst season of his career. The Astros designated him for assignment Aug. 10, which gave them 10 days to trade him, or they’d have to release him. 

“If you start playing to what the fans do, it’s hard to do,” Gomez said, per Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. “When you have 40,000 people outside screaming at you, you smile and you’re (upset). I’m the one here, enjoying my time. You’re watching because you can’t play.”

The Astros’ decision to try to trade Gomez was mostly financial, as it was unlikely that Houston would retain Gomez in free agency. His $24 million contract has been one of baseball’s best bargains over the last three years, and he’ll likely command a raise in free agency—even if it’s not as high as previously expected.

Gomez seems destined at this point for a one-year “prove it” deal with whomever he signs with this winter.

Presuming he’s healthy, Gomez should help Texas establish itself in playoff contention after Shin-Soo Choo underwent surgery to repair a fracture in his left wrist and forearm. A change of scenery might just be the thing to get him back in a rhythm, given how miserable his Houston experience has been.

Even if he proves to be a rental, Gomez is worth the trouble. 

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The Houston Astros released outfielder Carlos Gomez on Friday.

Upon designating Gomez for assignment Aug. 10, Houston had 10 days to work out a trade or assign him to the minor leagues, but instead the 30-year-old is now a free agent.

The 2016 season has been the worst of the Dominican Republic native’s MLB career, as he is hitting just .210 with five home runs, 29 RBI and 13 stolen bases.

Houston acquired Gomez in a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to last season’s trade deadline, and he struggled down the stretch to the tune of a .242 batting average, four homers, 13 RBI and 10 steals in 41 games.

Gomez is a couple of years removed from a pair of career seasons. He made the NL All-Star team in both 2013 and 2014, and he hit .284 with an average with 24 home runs, 73 RBI and 37 stolen bases per season over the course of that two-year span.

The former Gold Glove Award winner has experienced a steep fall from grace since then, but he is a five-tool player when he is on his game.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported the Miami Marlins have shown interest in signing him. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi added the following regarding a potential fit in Miami:

With slugger Giancarlo Stanton likely out for the season due to a groin injury, the playoff-contending Marlins desperately need outfield help.

Gomez may not help much if his 2016 form persists, but he could be a value signing should he recapture some of the magic he displayed in 2013 and 2014.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Houston Astros announced they designated Carlos Gomez for assignment Wednesday, which means “the Mets may have another opportunity to bring the outfielder back to New York,” per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.

Continue for updates.

Mets ‘Have an Open Mind’ on Gomez

Wednesday, Aug. 10

Kussoy noted the Mets nearly acquired Gomez from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade during the 2015 season in exchange for Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler, but health concerns surrounding Gomez’s hip “nixed” the deal.

Since the Astros designated Gomez for assignment, he will likely be a free agent in 10 days if they cannot trade him, per Kussoy. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said his team “always [has] an open mind” when discussing the possibility of adding Gomez on Wednesday, per Kussoy.

Gomez played 58 games as a rookie for New York in 2007 before he was dealt to the Minnesota Twins as part of the trade that brought Johan Santana to the Mets. The outfielder played in Minnesota in 2008 and 2009 before joining the Brewers (2010-15) until he was traded to Houston.

On paper, Gomez has an impressive resume, but he has struggled mightily this season. He is slashing .210/.272/.322 with five home runs and 29 RBI and rated as a minus-six in total defensive runs saved above average in center field, per FanGraphs. For context, he rated as a plus-32 in total defensive runs saved above average in center when he won the Gold Glove in 2013.

At his best, Gomez was a National League All-Star in 2013 and 2014 with a combined 47 home runs. He slashed .267/.325/.452 with 87 long balls and 288 RBI with the Brewers, but he only has a mere nine home runs and 42 RBI in 126 games with Houston.

Gomez is 30 years old, and the drop-off in production is a serious red flag for any team interested in the outfielder. However, the Mets find themselves in third place in the NL East and nine games behind the Washington Nationals a year after they reached the World Series.

The primary reason for New York’s struggles is a lack of offensive firepower. As of Wednesday, it ranked an abysmal 29th in the league in total runs scored, per ESPN.com. Gomez does have a track record that implies he could help the Mets with those offensive concerns and represents a potential low-risk, high-reward option as time runs out on the 2016 postseason chase.

The mere possibility that he could tap into the player he was in 2013 and 2014 has to be intriguing for a reeling Mets squad.

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With Carlos Gomez set to hit free agency in 2016, the Houston Astros may consider trading the outfielder this winter.  

Continue for updates.

Cubs, Other Clubs Interested in Gomez

Wednesday, Dec. 9

According to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros are “getting inquiries on their outfielders,” namely George Springer and Carlos Gomez. 

Drellich added, “The Cubs do have interest in Gomez, but the Astros are reticent to make a move and have a high price not only because Gomez could be a high impact player, but because the Astros have an outfield that has a history of injuries with Springer and Colby Rasmus.”

Gomez, 30, hit .255 with 12 home runs, 56 RBI, 61 runs scored and 17 stolen bases with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Astros last season. After hitting at least 20 home runs and 70 RBI in his previous two seasons, Gomez’s numbers dipped somewhat in 2015, largely due to the outfielder missing 47 games. 

He played well for the Astros in the postseason, however, hitting .267 with two homers and three RBI in six games.

Trading Gomez would suggest the Astros believe they have the young players in place to replicate his production, a risky move considering the team has the talent in place to return to the postseason, led by shortstop Carlos Correa. It would also weaken the squad’s depth, as Drelich noted. 

On the other hand, the young Astros seem unlikely to re-sign a 31-year-old Gomez next offseason, given the young talent the organization has coming up through the farm system. Getting something for Gomez now would make sense from that perspective. The team made a similar move with Dexter Fowler last year before his impending free agency this winter, so the precedent for trading Gomez is certainly in place.

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The injury bug often rears its mighty head at the most inopportune times in Major League Baseball. The optimism of a team can quickly disappear when a key player goes down. And when the injury warrants a lengthy recovering time—sometimes—that optimism is crushed completely.

With the 2015 MLB playoffs right around the corner, postseason contenders will have their fingers crossed that injuries will be avoided from here on out.

All teams have had to deal with injuries this season—some worse than others. Many of those teams were able to overcome their misfortunes to this point, while others face recent injuries without much time to recover.

When it comes to playoff successes, the healthier team seems to have the better shot at long-term success. That’s not always the case, but a key injury down the stretch can sometimes be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

The slides ahead will focus on the key injuries that each playoff contender is currently facing this season and whether they can overcome said injuries in postseason competition. That’s not to say that every injury will be listed for each team, but key players will be noted as best as possible.

Teams that are listed would make the playoffs if the season ended as of Friday night.

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Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez will be out of the lineup for multiple games as he deals with an intercostal injury. 

Continue for updates.

Gomez to Miss Rangers Series

Monday, Sept. 14

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow confirmed Gomez would miss the pivotal four-game AL West series, which runs from today through Sept. 17, according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. 

The Astros’ official Twitter account confirmed Gomez was dealing with “intercostal discomfort” and listed as day to day on Sunday.

Gomez is a two-time All-Star and a former Gold Glove Award winner and tallied a combined 47 home runs and 74 stolen bases in 2013 and 2014. He boasts power, speed and impressive defense in center field on a nightly basis, and his ability to cover plenty of ground takes away potentially critical hits from the opposition, as MLB pointed out:

However, Gomez has struggled this season. He’s been particularly lacking offensively since being dealt to Houston, posting a .661 OPS in 38 games. His defense in center field remains very good, though, as FanGraphs has credited him with saving seven runs in 2015. 

The Astros were in the playoff hunt before they traded for Gomez and remain atop the American League West more than one month later, so there is no reason to expect that to drastically change with this injury.

Still, Houston has a much more dangerous lineup and more potent defense when he is playing, and his absence hinders the team’s chances at holding off Texas and Los Angeles for the division title.

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With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday night, San Francisco Giants stud rookie Matt Duffy bombed a ball to the center field wall.

But Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez was all over it.

The fiery 29-year-old threw caution to the wind and banged into the fence with some serious force to make an extremely impressive snag.

Afterward, Gomez was pumped—and rightfully so. 

[MLB]

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Houston Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez hit the 100th home run of his career during Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, blasting a solo shot over the left-center field wall off of Rangers pitcher Yovani Gallardo in the sixth inning, per MLB Milestones.

The long ball pulled the Astros within one run at 4-3, but neither team managed to cross the plate for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday’s home run was also Gomez’s first in an Astros uniform, although he does have eight hits (.348 batting average), four RBI and a stolen base in 23 at-bats since joining the team in a July 30 trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gomez hit 87 of his 100 career home runs in a Milwaukee uniform, with 66 of those coming from 2012 to 2014.

During that three-year stretch, Gomez averaged 22 homers, 65.7 RBI, 82.3 runs and 37 stolen bases in 432 games, with a batting average of at least .260 in each season.

Per FanGraphs, he accumulated 16 wins above replacement (WAR) during that period, with 13 WAR between the 2013 and 2014 seasons alone.

Although he’s at just 1.9 WAR so far this season, Gomez can largely point to injuries as the explanation for his dip in production.

With his game largely built on his excellent speed, hip and hamstring injuries have limited the 29-year-old outfielder, particularly on the basepaths.

Coming off three consecutive seasons with 34 or more stolen bases, Gomez has converted just eight of his 14 attempts this year.

Of course, the Astros are still more than happy to have acquired him, especially because he’s under contract through 2016.

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From Johnny Cueto to Ben Zobrist, there are certain big leaguers who have a big chance of getting traded before the 2015 MLB trade deadline passes.

Simply put, the most likely trade chips are good players on bad teams. The righty ace and the Swiss Army Knife of baseball both fit that bill. Cueto and Zobrist aren’t the only players on the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics, respectively, who crack a spot on this top 10.

But no team is better represented on the list than the Philadelphia Phillies.

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