Texas deals Josh Smith, Minors arm to Toronto for lefty Macko
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ARLINGTON -- The Rangers, who appear to still be toeing the line between buying and selling, acquired another bullpen arm on Monday afternoon.
The club announced they acquired left-hander Adam Macko, who’s seen multiple stints in the big leagues, in exchange for utilityman Josh Smith and Triple-A righty Josh Stephan. Stephan was a Top 30 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, as recently as last season.
TRADE DETAILS
Texas gets: LHP Adam Macko
Toronto gets: INF Josh Smith, RHP Josh Stephan
Macko, a 25-year-old left-hander, has posted a 4.91 ERA, 10 walks, 23 strikeouts and a 1.55 WHIP over 22 games (one start) across three stints with the Blue Jays this season. He had eight scoreless innings over his first eight MLB appearances. He will report to Triple-A Round Rock.
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The Rangers also designated veteran right-hander Chris Martin for assignment this morning. The 40-year-old, who battled a number of injuries this season, posted a 9.00 ERA in 14 innings across 16 relief appearances with Texas this season.
Smith, who won the utility Silver Slugger Award in 2024, opened the season as the Rangers’ second baseman after the departure of Marcus Semien. He then endured a number of injuries, including viral meningitis that kept him sidelined for six weeks. He slashed .213/.299/.272 in 45 games and was optioned to Triple-A in June for the first time since 2022.
A change of scenery could do him good.