The Texas Rangers don’t exactly have a roster overflowing with former New York Mets, but there are a few familiar faces. The most prominent, of course, is Jacob deGrom. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Mets of all time—certainly in the franchise’s top five—deGrom is expected to be a cornerstone of Texas’ rotation when healthy. He isn’t the only one with Mets ties who could contribute next season, though.
Another name of note is Kumar Rocker. Drafted in the first round by the Mets in 2021, Rocker never actually signed due to disagreements over his medical evaluations. Even so, his connection to the Mets still lingers. Meanwhile, Jack Leiter, the son of former Mets pitcher Al Leiter, offers a lighter but still interesting link between the franchises.
Most recently, the Rangers added yet another player with a Mets background, even if his stay may not be long. This weekend, they claimed Dom Hamel off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Hamel’s journey has been a strange one. Once considered a top-10 prospect in the Mets’ system, he was designated for assignment by New York, briefly landed in Baltimore without making an appearance, and now finds himself in Texas.
The question is, why has Hamel been shuffled around so quickly? His Triple-A numbers this season hardly inspire confidence, posting a 5.32 ERA, but the surface-level struggles don’t tell the whole story. His control numbers—just 2.9 walks per nine innings—were excellent by Mets standards, and his strikeout rate of 10 per nine innings suggests there’s real ability there.
What makes his year so peculiar is how inconsistent his performance looked in different roles. When pitching out of the bullpen, his ERA improved significantly, dropping from 6.18 to 4.61, but oddly, his strikeout rate fell below one per inning. That split hints at untapped potential but also uncertainty about his long-term role.
Despite those encouraging signs, the Orioles didn’t bother to give him a chance, letting him go after only a few days in their system. The Rangers, who are still experimenting with their young pitching staff, saw enough reason to take a chance. Hamel might not project as a long-term big-league starter, but he’s the kind of reclamation project Mets fans would have expected another team to invest in. Baltimore decided against it. Now, Texas will try to see if there’s still something to build on.