Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers today acquired right-handed pitcher Carter Baumler from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jaiker Garcia and cash considerations. Baumler, who was selected by Pittsburgh from Baltimore in the Major League phase of today’s Rule 5 Draft, joins Texas’ 40-man roster, which stands at 35 players.
Baumler, 23, went 2-0 with 2 saves and a 2.04 ERA (9 ER/39.2 IP) over 28 relief appearances in 2025 with Baltimore’s Rookie-level FCL Orioles, High-A Aberdeen, and Double-A Chesapeake. The right-hander did not permit a home run while recording a 10.4 SO/9 ratio and a 1.084 WHIP, the 7th-lowest WHIP figure among Orioles farmhands (min. 30.0 IP).
Originally selected by Baltimore in the 5th round of the 2020 MLB Draft from Dowling Catholic (Iowa) H.S., Baumler has gone 7-1 with 2 saves, a 3.05 ERA (30 ER/88.2 IP), and 104 strikeouts against 40 walks over 49 career games/10 starts spanning four seasons (2022-25) in the Baltimore chain. He did not see official game action in 2021 while recovering from ‘Tommy John’ ligament replacement surgery performed in October 2020 by Texas team physician Dr. Keith Meister.
Garcia, who turns 21 on December 23, went 3-3 with 2 saves and a 4.66 ERA (10 ER/19.1 IP) in 18 relief appearances for the Rookie-level ACL Rangers in 2025. The right-handed pitcher carries a career 5-8 record with a 7.22 ERA in 37 career appearances/10 starts on the mound. A Venezuela native, Garcia originally signed with the Rangers in 2022 and began his professional career as a position player before transitioning to pitching full-time in 2023.
Texas selected one player in the first round of the minor league (Triple-A) phase during Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft: RHP Jonathan Brand from Boston’s Double-A roster.
Brand, 25, registered a 3.16 ERA (18 ER/51.1 IP) with 5 saves, 59 strikeouts, and a 1.21 WHIP in 33 relief appearances for three Red Sox affiliates in 2025: High-A Greenville (12 games), Double-A Portland (20 games), and Triple-A Worcester (1 game). An 8th round pick by Boston in the 2022 MLB Draft from Miami (Ohio) University, the Columbus, Ga. product has a 3.05 ERA in 49 games/10 starts across four minor league seasons within the Red Sox organization from 2022-25.
Additionally, two players from the Rangers organization were selected by other clubs in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft: RHP Jackson Kelley by Chicago-AL off the Rangers’ Double-A roster (1st round), and RHP Kyle Larsen by Pittsburgh off the Rangers’ Single-A roster (3rd round).
The 25-year-old Kelley spent most of the 2025 season with Double-A Frisco, posting a 2.40 ERA (8 ER/30.0 IP) in 20 relief outings. He is 13-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 103 career minor league games, all within the Rangers system since being selected in 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft from Mercer (Ga.) University. Larsen, an 18th-round pick by Texas in 2021 from TNXL Academy (Fla.), had a 4.09 ERA (15 ER/33.0 IP) in 20 appearances between the ACL Rangers and Single-A Hickory in 2025. In three minor league seasons (2023-25), the right-hander is 6-5 with a 4.59 ERA in 41 games/15 starts.
The Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs picking a player in the Major League phase must pay $100,000 to the team from which said player was selected. Rule 5 draftees that are not kept on the 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season must be placed on outright waivers, and, if the player clears waivers, must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000. Players selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft remain with their new club, which makes a $24,000 payment to the draftee’s former team.
– RANGERS –