Rangers Trade Nomar Mazara To White Sox For Steele Walker
SAN DIEGO (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The Texas Rangers traded right fielder Nomar Mazara Tuesday night to the Chicago White Sox for minor league outfielder Steele Walker.
The clubs announced the deal at baseball's annual winter meetings.
The 24-year-old Mazara has tantalizing power but produced mixed results over his first four big league seasons. The 6-foot-4 slugger batted .268 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .786 OPS this year.
"He looks like he's 7 foot every time I see him in the box," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said earlier Tuesday. "Runs extremely well for a big guy. Can defend. Good arm. Brings a lot of qualities to the plate. Can pop one in the seats as quickly as anybody."
Mazara projects to make about $5.5 million in arbitration and is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.
Walker is a native of Prosper and was a second-round draft pick out of the University of Oklahoma in 2018. He batted .284 with 10 homers and 62 RBIs across two Class A teams in his first full pro season.
"He is a really good hitter, with both power and an advanced approach, and has an aggressive, winning on-field makeup," said Jon Daniels, Texas' president of baseball operations.
The team said Walker was assigned to the Double-A Frisco team.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
