Dodgers snatch potential impact arm from Yankees

Once the No. 8 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system for two consecutive years, Gomez has been a top 30 prospect for the team since 2019. Throughout his time in the minors, Gomez had shown promise as a mid-rotation starter, twice throwing to sub-3.00 ERAs.

Consistent arm and shoulder injuries greatly impacted his professional career. Last season, Gomez posted his career-high in innings pitched with only 94.2 across Triple-A and the majors. According to his scouting report, Gomez had been experiencing a downward trend in his velocity and spin rates, while his control had regressed over the past few years. As a result, the Yankees moved him to the bullpen full-time before Opening Day.

This season, Gomez got the call for his third year of major-league action. In 10 innings with the Yankees, he maintains a 2.70 ERA with five strikeouts and an opponent average of .143, bringing his career ERA down to 3.09. Thus far, he has utilized a four-pitch mix consisting of a sweeper, four-seamer, changeup and curveball, seemingly foregoing his slider, which had been a promising offering in prior years. Despite posting some solid results this year through his limited 10-inning stint, the Yankees likely found his nine walks to be worrying. With his control issues validated, the Yankees moved him off the roster in favor of Matzek.

Given his brief success as a long reliever with the Yankees, Gomez will likely fit seamlessly into the Dodgers’ bullpen. Entering Friday’s action against the Pirates, the Los Angeles bullpen owns an abysmal 4.08 ERA, which ranks them 18^th overall in bullpen ERAs.