Miami Marlins trade Jake Burger to Texas Rangers in team’s first big move of offseason

The Miami Marlins’ first big move of the offseason has arrived — and it involves them shipping off one of their best position players.

The Marlins have traded corner infielder/designated hitter Jake Burger to the Texas Rangers, the team announced Wednesday.

In return, the Marlins received three prospects in return from the Rangers: Infielders Echedry Vargas and Max Acosta along with left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza.

Vargas, who is ranked as Texas’ No. 17 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline but hasn’t played above the Single A level of the minor-leagues. The 19-year-old has a career .292 batting average, .847 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 29 home runs, 114 RBI, 152 runs scored and 59 stolen bases over 204 minor-league games spanning three seasons.

Acosta, 22, played all of last season at Double A, where he posted a .288 batting average/.353 on-base percentage/.425 slugging slash line to go along with 23 doubles, three triples, eight home runs and 58 RBI over 104 games. He followed that up with a strong showing at the Arizona Fall League where he posted a .934 OPS.

Both Vargas and Acosta have gone through the minor leagues primarily playing shortstop, an area of need for the organization.

Mendoza made 24 appearances (19 starts) last season, all but two of which came at the Class A level.

Burger, 28, has been one of the Marlins’ steadiest hitters since joining the club at the 2023 trade deadline following a trade with the Chicago White Sox. In 190 games with Miami, Burger has hit .265 with 38 home runs, 104 RBI and 95 runs scored. He hit a team-leading 29 home runs last season over 137 games while splitting time among first base, third base and designated hitter.

Burger is under team control for four more years and doesn’t become arbitration-eligible until next offseason.

With Burger gone, the Marlins’ notable corner infield options currently in the system include Jonah Bride, Connor Norby and prospect Deyvison De Los Santos.

Bride, 28, hit .276 with a .818 OPS, 11 home runs, 10 doubles, 39 RBI and 30 runs scored over 71 games for the Marlins last season. He primarily played first base and designated hitter but also spent some time at third base.

Norby, 24, came to the Marlins midseason in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles. In 36 games with Miami, he hit .247 with a .760 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI and 29 runs scored. Of his 34 starts, 30 came at third base.

De Los Santos, who Miami acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, led the minor leagues last season with 40 home runs while also hitting .294 with a .914 OPS, 120 RBI, 25 doubles and 89 runs scored across 137 games (38 at the Double A level, 99 at Triple A). He is on Miami’s 40-man roster and should get a strong look for the roster at spring training.