MATON GOES TO TEXAS
The Texas Rangers acquired pitcher Phil Maton from the St. Louis Cardinals for pitchers Mason Molina and Skylar Hales, and international bonus pool money.
What does it give the Texas Rangers
The Rangers upgrade their bullpen with the addition of Maton. The right-hander has been an effective setup man the past few seasons, with a solid 2.35 ERA and 20 holds so far in 2025. Texas does not have too deep of a bullpen, so Maton should see lots of work in the late innings for the rest of the year.
What does it give the St. Louis Cardinals
Maton was just on a one-year contract, so St. Louis did pretty well getting three assets for the veteran. They bring in two young pitchers, one a left-handed starter (Molina) and the other a right-handed reliever (Hales). Neither is a highly ranked prospect, but they could have more of a future in the organization than Maton did at this point. The Cardinals also got some international free agent money from the Rangers to complete the trade.
Fantasy impact
Maton should get a boost joining the Rangers bullpen. As a setup man, he is likely to see more opportunities for holds, and he may even get some looks in the 9th inning. He strikes out enough hitters to have value in most fantasy formats, too. As for Molina and Hales, they are not on the fantasy radar at this time.
