Texas Rangers: Intriguing prospect acquired in Heineman deal

The Texas Rangers traded OF Scott Heineman to the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, netting a fascinating young hitter in return.

It’s trade season for the Texas Rangers.

Every day, it feels like GM Chris Young and company have a deal up their sleeves.

That might almost be a literal sentiment, considering how many transactions the team has been involved in recently.

After trading reliever Rafael Montero to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, the Rangers announced on Wednesday that they traded outfielder Scott Heineman to the Cincinnati Reds.

Heineman, a player who the Rangers regarded as having decent potential, was DFA’d by the organization on December 11 after being re-signed just a short while ago.

The 28-year-old outfielder ultimately couldn’t locate his place on Texas’ 40-man roster following some active roster shuffling over the last couple of weeks.

https://twitter.com/ScottHeineman/status/1339309554677522440

In the swap, the Rangers received MiLB infielder Jose Acosta from Cincinnati.

Acosta, just 20-years old, was signed as an international free agent by the Reds in 2017.

The young infielder from the Dominican Republic combined to hit .395 with 17 doubles, three home runs and 32 runs batted in over stints with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Reds and the rookie Arizona League Reds between 2017 and 2019.

Acosta notably made Baseball America‘s DSL All-Star team in 2019 after notching a .403 batting average and 1.113 OPS, both of which led the league that year.

With the minor league season cancelled in 2020, Acosta didn’t receive an opportunity to build upon his progress, but should start the 2021 campaign at Texas’ Low-A affiliate in Down East.

The 20-year-old is also a threat on the base paths, having accrued a 90.5% success rate on stolen bags while in the minors.

In the field, Acosta can play both third base and second base, and while it’s too early to indicate which position he will remain at long-term, his versatility should aid him greatly as he advances through the Texas Rangers’ minor league system.

Considering Scott Heineman’s lack of production at the big league level so far, Texas made out well to acquire an intriguing infield prospect with a plus hit tool in this trade.

While Acosta didn’t crack any Reds Top-30 prospect lists, his talent is discernable and with more experience, could eventually land on a Rangers top prospect list very soon.