Rangers acquire C Geovany Soto and cash considerations from Chicago Cubs in exchange for RHP Jake Brigham and a player to be named later or cash; C Yorvit Torrealba designated for assignment

Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers announced this morning that the club has acquired catcher Geovany Soto and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jake Brigham and a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Soto is expected to be in uniform when the Rangers play the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night. To make room for Soto on the active roster, Texas has designated catcher Yorvit Torrealba for assignment.

"We're excited to add Geovany to our club, said Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels. “He's a talented guy we think can contribute to what we're hoping to accomplish. We also want to thank Yorvit for his work here over the past two seasons."

Soto, 29, has played his entire major league career for the Cubs from 2005-12, where he was an All-Star and National League Rookie of the Year in 2008.  He has batted .199 with 6 home runs and 14 RBI in 52 games/51 starts with Chicago this season, including going 1-for-2 with a walk and 2 runs scored in his final game with the Cubs on Monday night against Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.  He missed over a month on the disabled list from May 19-June 17 this season with torn meniscus in his left knee. Soto is batting .298 (14-47) over his last 14 games beginning July 5.

Soto is a career .252 hitter with 77 home runs and 264 RBI over 555 games in the major leagues.  He is one of four catchers in Cubs history with three-or-more seasons of at least 15 home runs.  Soto caught Carlos Zambrano’s no-hitter for the Cubs on September 14, 2008 vs. Houston in Milwaukee.  The Puerto Rico native ranked third among National League catchers with 17 home runs in 2011. He has thrown out over 23% of runners attempting to steal in his career. 

He hit 23 home runs in his N.L. Rookie of the Year season in 2008, the most for any Cubs rookie since Billy Williams hit 25 in 1961.  Soto was twice named N.L. Rookie of the Month (April and August) in 2008 and started the All-Star Game that year.  He appeared in the postseason with Chicago in both 2007 and 2008, and also played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Torrealba batted .236 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI in 49 games/46 starts behind the plate for the Rangers this season, his second year with the club.  He led the Rangers with 95 starts at catcher in 2011.

Brigham has gone 5-5 with a 4.28 ERA (59 ER/124.0 IP) in 21 games/starts for Double-A Frisco this season.  He was originally selected in the sixth round of the 2006 June draft and has spent his entire career in the Texas organization.  Brigham was added to the 40-man roster in November.

With Brigham and Torrealba coming off the roster, and Soto being added, the Rangers now have 39 players on the club’s 40-man roster.