Rangers trade former first-round pick to Rockies in a minor deal

In a minor move today, the Texas Rangers sent infielder Richie Martin Jr. to the Colorado Rockies. The return coming back to Texas hasn't been made public yet, but it's expected to be either cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Martin Jr. joined the Rangers via the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the Atlantic League in May of 2025, and spent the entire year down in Round Rock, where he posted a .258/.348/.369 line with three homers and 25 steals over 79 games. That humble path to the organization makes it easy to forget that the 31-year-old was once a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics back in 2015.

The Rangers enjoyed having Martin Jr. in the organization so much that they re-signed him to a minor league contract last November. Martin Jr. was invited to big league spring training, but was among the first cuts Texas made. Back in Round Rock, he's hit .234/.345/.362 with four homers and 12 stolen bases in 44 games this season.

Rangers trading Richie Martin Jr. to the Rockies is about nothing more than giving him a fresh opportunity

Martin Jr. never made it to the majors with the A's, and instead was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 draft during the 2018-2019 offseason. He'd play 120 games and hit just .208/.260/.322.

The following season, he did not see big league action and essentially sat out as the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He was back with the Orioles for 37 games, but put up an abysmal .235/.269/.286 line. In 2022, Martin would only see 13 games in the majors, slashing .167/.242/.300.

The former University of Florida star last played in the MLB in 2022 and has jumped around from organization to organization via minor league deals ever since, until he was out of affiliated ball completely in 2024.

Trading him to Colorado isn't about some grand master plan. Whatever the finalized return is, it won't be much of anything. Martin Jr. wasn't on the 40-man roster, either, so this isn't about setting up a larger move.

Instead, this is about doing right by a player and finding him a better opportunity to continue pursuing his dream. The Rangers had a plethora of infield depth ahead of him in the pecking order, but over in Colorado, his veteran experience and that club's weak talent level could create a pathway for a return to the bigs. For the Rangers' troubles, they'll collect a little something for doing Martin Jr. a solid.

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