Rangers add power bat from the Marlins in absolute trade heist

To round out what was an extremely eventful Tuesday around Major League Baseball, the Texas Rangers squeezed out their second major transaction right around midnight. After re-signing staff ace Nathan Eovaldi to an expensive three-year deal, the Rangers agreed to a trade with the Miami Marlins that netted Texas a big power-hitting bat.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal was the first to report that the Rangers acquired corner infielder Jake Burger from the Marlins, with the rest of the details following shortly after. In the end, the Rangers got Burger for infielders Max Acosta and Echedry Vargas (their No. 17 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), along with left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza.

This past season, the Rangers finished ninth in the AL in home runs with 176, 11th in SLG (.380) and 12th in ISO (.279). The need for a power bat has been clear since the get-go, and they're landing a controllable one in Burger.

Rangers acquire Jake Burger in fleecing of the Marlins

Burger, 28, hit 29 home runs and drove in 76 in what turned out to be his only full season on the Marlins. He hit .250 with a .760 OPS and 103 OPS+, turning himself into one of the more popular players on an otherwise unexciting Marlins team. He was going to be easily their best power hitter in 2025, but the Marlins are electing to lean even further into their rebuild rather than building around someone like Burger.

A third baseman by trade, Burger split his time pretty evenly between third and first base this past year for the first time in his four-year career. He's never been much of a defender, so his long-term fit on the Rangers is either at first base or as the club's primary designated hitter.

Who did the Rangers give up?

Acosta, 22, is a versatile speed demon who plays a strong shortstop. Texas had only just added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, so he'll slot into Miami's 40-man as well. This past year, he hit .288 with a .777 OPS, going 26-for-35 in stolen base attempts while recording 34 extra-base hits. He's all contact, no power, but he has strong baserunning skills and has solid range at the shortstop position.

Vargas is only just 19 but was the only member of the Rangers' top-30 prospects list from MLB Pipeline. Like Acosta, Vargas is a shortstop by trade, but he has experience at second and third base as well, so he can be an option at multiple different positions. In 2024, he appeared in 97 games at the Low-A level, hitting 14 home runs with 48 RBI while going 29-for-38 in stolen base attempts and posting a .775 OPS.

Then there's Mendoza, the only pitcher involved in the deal. The 20-year-old southpaw had been used as a swingman in the Rangers system, but he quietly turned in a really solid season split between two levels in 2024. All told, he went 5-4 with a 2.32 ERA in 19 starts (and five relief appearances) across 101 innings of work.

The general concensus is that the Rangers won this trade by a landslide. They departed with three tradeable prospects to land a controllable power hitter who has always been regarded as an excellent clubhouse presence and well-liked player. Depending on what Texas does with Nathaniel Lowe, it seems they've found a long-term solution at first base or DH. Burger is under team control through the 2028 season.