Austin Gomber signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs and was assigned to Triple-A Iowa, making his organizational debut tonight against Kansas City’s top affiliate. The MLB.com tracker shows an August 26 signing date, which preserves the possibility of postseason eligibility because he joined the organization before September. The southpaw supplies rotation depth for a Cubs club missing Michael Soroka and Jameson Taillon. Gomber was released by the Rockies after shoulder discomfort and posted a 7.49 ERA in 12 starts since mid-June, with a career-worst 12.5% strikeout rate and a fastball averaging just over 89 MPH. The Rockies remain responsible for his $6.35MM salary; the Cubs would owe a prorated $760K if he reaches the majors, and he will become a free agent again in the offseason.
That's a relevant distinction because it keeps open the long shot possibility that Gomber could get a look in the postseason. He was in the organization before the beginning of September, so he'll be eligible for the playoff roster even though he's not currently on the 40-man roster. That obviously wouldn't be Plan A for the team, but the southpaw provides rotation depth for a team that is without Michael Soroka and Jameson Taillon at the moment.
Gomber was released by the Rockies last month. The soft-tossing southpaw missed the first couple months with shoulder discomfort. He was tattooed for a 7.49 earned run average in 12 starts since being activated from the injured list in the middle of June. Gomber didn't pitch well at home or on the road. He struggled to miss bats no matter the venue, posting a career-worst 12.5% strikeout rate across 57 2/3 innings.
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