The Boston Red Sox moved on from Danny Coulombe on Sunday, designating the former Texas Rangers left-hander for assignment, the team announced. The timing mattered, too: Coulombe was on the verge of triggering bonus money with his next outing, and that likely played a major role in Boston’s decision to clear him from the active roster.
Coulombe’s contract details make the move easier to understand. He has appearance-based bonuses that begin at 30 games, and Sunday night was his 29th appearance of the season. His revised deal also includes bonuses tied to days spent on the active roster.
Texas fans know Coulombe well. The Rangers picked him up from the Minnesota Twins at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for minor-league left-hander Garrett Horn.
At the time, Coulombe was coming off a blistering start to 2025 with Minnesota, when he posted a 1.16 ERA with 31 strikeouts and nine walks over 31 innings. But that form never carried over once he got to Texas.
The 36-year-old appeared in only 15 games for the Rangers last year because of left shoulder fatigue, and when he did pitch, the results were rough. He finished with a 5.25 ERA and nine walks in 12 innings.
Boston hoped a one-year deal would get him back on track, but the early returns were ugly. Coulombe opened the season with a 6.55 ERA across 11 innings through May.
He has been better since June began, putting up a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings, though there are still warning signs. During that stretch, he gave up eight hits and nine walks while striking out only two batters.
Even with the Red Sox cutting ties, a reunion in Texas does not make much sense. The Rangers are in need of bullpen help, but their left-handed relief picture is already relatively settled with Jacob Latz and Tyler Alexander. Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery could also become options soon.
The bigger issue is on the other side of the bullpen. Entering Sunday, Rangers right-handed relievers ranked 20th in ERA at 4.51, 27th in strikeout rate at 19.5% and 29th in walk rate at 7.7%. Their left-handed relievers, by comparison, ranked sixth in ERA at 2.98 and seventh in walk rate at 8.3%.
That leaves Texas looking for right-handed relief help on the free-agent, trade and waiver markets. There is at least one encouraging note: injured left-hander Robert Garcia has started throwing, per Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News. But the Rangers still have a clear shortage of effective right-handers in the bullpen.
Coulombe’s overall MLB track record is solid. He owns a 3.43 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 322 strikeouts in 338 2/3 innings across 372 games.
He has been productive before, and his recent run suggests he could help somebody. But with shaky underlying numbers and Texas already covered on the left side, the Rangers should probably pass on a reunion with the veteran southpaw.
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Bumila had been committed to the University of Texas, but his path now shifts to pro ball instead of campus life. The risk is obvious, and so is the appeal for a Rangers front office that was willing to lean into it, hoping the upside eventually justifies a very unconventional day-one value play. [Read more 🡒]