Rangers acquire pitching prospect Jason Bahr, Denton Ryan ex in trade with Giants

The Rangers acquired right-handed pitchers Cory Gearrin and Jason Bahr and outfielder Austin Jackson from the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Pitchers Tony Barnette and Matt Bush were moved to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster for Gearrin, who will join the major league club in Boston on Monday, and for Bahr, who was assigned to High-A Down East. Jackson, who attended Denton Ryan, might be part of an additional trade, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. Corresponding moves will be made when the players report. Jackson was hitting .242 in 59 games for the Giants. He's played with six clubs since his debut in 2010.

Bahr was the draw for the Rangers. Daniels called the 23-year-old an under-the-radar prospect.

"Our primary motivation in the deal was acquiring Jason Bahr. He’s a guy we look at a little bit undervalued prospect," he said. "If he continues on his current trajectory, a year from now, if he’s doing what he's doing in Double-A, he would be tough to acquire."

Bahr has a 2.83 ERA in 117 2/3 innings in the minors, which includes a 1.69 ERA in three starts for High-A San Jose over 16 innings.

"We're looking to acquire young talent and continue to build an impressive lower-level area of our system through nontraditional, in-season trades in our constant search for young, starting pitching talent that we can develop," Daniels said. "I look forward to [Bahr] moving through our system and being an option for us down the line as a major league starting pitcher."

Bahr throws four pitches and features a fastball that plays above its velocity, Daniels said.

"He has a really unique fastball that gets on hitters," he said. He also throws a slider, changeup and curve ball. Bahr has 139 strikeouts in 117 2/3 minor league innings. As a sophomore in 2017 at Central Florida, he struck out 98 with 15 walks in 60 2/3 innings.

Gearrin will help fill out the bullpen depth with Barnette and Bush both injured. Jackson can play all three outfield spots, but his fate remains undetermined. The Rangers made it known that there's not a lot of playing time available in the outfield on their current 25-man roster.

"He’s a guy we know well," Daniels said. "We're still evaluating our options with Austin. We're also talking to other clubs about the possibility of a trade."

This story was originally published July 8, 2018 at 2:17 PM.