The Texas Rangers acquired a left-handed pitcher with Texas ties on Thursday.
The club received Mason Molina, 21, for Grant Anderson in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson was designated for assignment when to make room for Joc Pederson on the 40-man roster. Pederson officially signed on Monday.
Molina grew up in Irvine, Calif., and attended Texas Tech from 2022-2023 before transferring to Arkansas for the 2024 season. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Brewers. He made his professional debut with Low-A Carolina in August, throwing five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and allowing four hits and a walk.
Molina has been assigned to the Hub City Spartanburgers, the Rangers new High-A affiliate.
Molina was 12-9 with a 3.97 ERA and 260 strikeouts in 51 games, inclusing 38 starts over three college seasons. He threw five no-hit innings with 10 strikeouts against Michigan in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field last February.
Anderson, a native of Port Arthur, was acquired by Texas in a 2019 trade with the Seattle Mariners. Anderson, 27, was 2-2 with one save and a 6.35 ERA 49 relief appearances over the past two seasons with the Rangers. He struggled with a 8.10 ERA in 26 2/3 innings in 2024 as he toggled between Arlington and Triple-A Round Rock for much of the summer.
