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Pirates Acquire Mark Mathias From the Rangers

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded for 28-year-old infielder/outfielder Mark Mathias from the Texas Rangers in exchange for a player to be named later.

Mathias has 127 plate appearances in the majors in parts of two seasons. In that time, he’s hit for a .256/.307/.462 line with six home runs. Last year in Triple-A, between the Brewers and Rangers systems, he hit for a .322/.422/.518 line with a 24% strikeout rate, and a 13% walk rate.

The right-handed hitter was recently designated for assignment by the Rangers, making this a bit more than a waiver claim, as the Pirates cut the line to get him with the PTBNL.

This move boosts the depth off the bench, with Mathias having one option remaining and 1.153 years of service time to date. He’s played first, second, third, and all three outfield spots. His potential role is similar to the potential role from Ji-Hwan Bae: a super utility bat off the bench.

Bae is off to a slow start this spring, going 1-for-14 in six games. That slow start gives us a reminder that his success in the majors has been brief. At the very least, adding Mathias boosts the depth behind Bae. I think it’s likely that Mathias begins the year in Pittsburgh and Bae starts the year getting daily at-bats in Indianapolis.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Max Kranick was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

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Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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