Rangers & White Sox Complete Trade
The Rangers acquired right-hander Ben Peoples from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league catcher Ben Hartl.
Neither player is on a 40-man roster, and the deal was not formally announced, which is typical for the Rangers when it comes to minor league trades unless the player ends up on the big league roster.
A Reliever Knocking on the Door
Peoples has been one of the better relief arms in the White Sox organization this season, and the timing of the trade is notable given how thin the Rangers bullpen is right now.
The 25-year-old posted a 2.39 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and a 45-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 37.2 innings for Triple-A Charlotte, holding opposing hitters to a .156 average.
His fastball sits around 96 mph with a slider that plays up in short outings, exactly the kind of profile teams spend years developing, though his 5.0 walks per nine innings shows the command still needs refining.
Minor news: Sox are trading RHP Ben Peoples to Texas for C Ben Hartl.
— Brooke Fletcher (@BrookeFletcher) June 30, 2026
Like Sam Antonacci, Hartl is a Springfield native and Heartland Community College alum, where they were teammates in 2023. #whitesox
Peoples was originally drafted in the 22nd round of the 2019 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Giles County High School in Pulaski, Tennessee, and came to the White Sox last summer in the three-player package for Adrian Houser.
He was unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, meaning Texas now controls his fate and faces a decision on whether to protect him after the 2026 season.
The Rangers were wrapping up a stretch of 15 games in 15 days with a spent bullpen when they made the move, having signed Chris Paddack on Monday before designating him for assignment the next day to promote Gavin Collyer.
Given the roster churn, one has to wonder whether Peoples could be next in line for his major league debut.
Gotta say…not sure I get what the #WhiteSox are going for with this trade.
— Sam Phalen (@Sam_Phalen) June 30, 2026
Ben Peoples is on the cusp contributing to the MLB bullpen.
Ben Hartl is a 14th round catcher struggling to produce in High-A at 23 years old. Chicago already has plenty of catching depth. https://t.co/qCzeN6emWz
The Return for Chicago
Hartl, 23, was a 14th-round pick by Texas in the 2024 draft out of the University of Kansas, where he posted a .309/.460/.599 slash line with 11 home runs in his final college season.
He is a defensive-minded backstop who has not advanced beyond High-A and gives the White Sox catching depth at the lower levels, though the move drew head-scratching reactions given Chicago already has significant catching depth in the system behind big league catcher of the future Kyle Teel.
