Veteran infielder Jake Burger (R) became the latest veteran traded by the Miami Marlins since the start of last year, joining former outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., and pitchers Tanner Scott and Trevor Rogers, among others. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
The Texas Rangers agreed to trade three prospects to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran first baseman Jake Burger, a league source told UPI on Wednesday.
Burger, 28, hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs over 137 appearances last season for the Marlins. He joined the Marlins in a 2023 trade from the Chicago White Sox. Advertisement
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft hit .251 with 72 home runs and 185 RBIs over his first 344 career appearances. Burger hit a career-high 32 home runs and logged 149 RBIs over 141 games when he split the season with the White Sox and Marlins in 2023.
He is eligible for arbitration in 2026 and isn’t set to become a free agent until 2029.
In exchange for the slugger, the Marlins will receive shortstops Echedry Vargas and Max Acosta and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza.
Vargas, 19, was the No. 17 shortstop in the Rangers’ system. The shortstop/second baseman hit .276 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 29 stolen bases over 97 games last season for the Class-A Down East Wood Ducks. He hit .292 with 29 home runs, 114 RBIs and 59 stolen bases over his first 205 minor league appearances. Advertisement
Acosta, 22, hit .288 with eight home runs, 58 RBIs and 26 stolen bases over 104 appearances last season for the Class-AA Frisco RoughRiders. The shortstop and second baseman hit .268 with 24 home runs, 158 RBIs and 103 stolen bases over his first four minor league seasons.
Mendoza, 20, went 5-4 with a 2.32 ERA over 24 appearances last season at the Class A and Advanced-A level. The starting pitcher went 8-12 with a 3.28 ERA over 67 appearances over the last four seasons in the minor leagues.
Burger’s trade marks another significant departure for the Marlins, who are stocking up their minor-league system once again after making the playoffs in 2023.
They sent outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees in July in exchange for what became their Nos. 3 and 10 prospects. The Marlins also sent away All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in May. They acquired relief pitcher Woo-Suk Go and what became their Nos. 7 , 19 and 30 prospects in that exchange.
Pitchers Tanner Scott and Trevor Rogers were among the other players the Marlins traded last year. They received what became their Nos. 5, 11 and 23 prospects in the Scott Swap. Advertisement
