Rangers acquire INF Jake Burger from Miami in exchange for INF Max Acosta, INF Echedry Vargas, and LHP Brayan Mendoza
Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today announced that the club has acquired infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins in exchange for infielders Max Acosta and Echedry Vargas, and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza.
Burger, 28, batted .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBI over 137 games for Miami in 2024, leading Marlins hitters in hits (career-high 134), runs (68), and home runs. From July 1 through the end of the season, he posted a .278/.336/.553/.889 (82-295) slash line with 22 home runs – the 3rd most in the N.L. in that span to only Los Angeles-NL’s Shohei Ohtani (28) and Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez (24). Burger was one of four N.L. Silver Slugger finalists at the utility position and earned Marlins Most Valuable Player honors from the South Florida chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
A four-year MLB veteran, Burger carries a career .251/.305/.483/.789 slash line with 72 home runs and 185 RBI over 344 games with Chicago-AL (2021-23) and Miami (2023-24). Since 2023, his 63 home runs are tied for 15th most in baseball, while his .573 slugging percentage on fastballs in that span ranks 9th in MLB (Baseball Savant). The St. Louis, Mo. native was originally selected by the White Sox with the 11th overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft from Missouri State University.
Acosta, 22, hit .288/.353/.425/.778 (111-386) over 104 games spent exclusively with Frisco (AA) in 2024, his fourth professional season (all with Texas) after signing with the Rangers as an international free agent on July 2, 2019. A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Acosta made starts defensively last season at shortstop (65), second base (36), and designated hitter (2).
Vargas, 19, spent last season at Down East (A), batting .276/.321/.454/.775 (108-392) with 14 home runs, 24 doubles, and 48 RBI in his third professional season since signing with Texas as a non-drafted free agent on January 15, 2022 from Azua, Dominican Republic. He has played primarily shortstop in his pro career, also seeing action at second base and third base.
Mendoza, 20, combined to go 5-4 with a 2.32 ERA (26 ER/101.0 IP) and 109 strikeouts over 24 games/19 starts with Down East (A) and Hickory (A+) in 2024. The Venezuela native will be in his fourth professional season after he was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on January 18, 2021.
With today’s move, the Rangers have 39 players on the club’s Major League roster.