The Rangers are sending Josh Smith and pitcher Josh Stephan to Toronto in a deal for left-handed reliever Adam Macko, according to multiple reports.
Macko is 25 and was originally a seventh-round pick by the Mariners in 2019 before heading to the Blue Jays after the 2022 season in the Teoscar Hernandez trade, along with Erik Swanson. This season, he has split time between Triple-A and the majors, posting a 4.07 ERA in Triple-A and a 4.91 ERA in the big leagues.
His arsenal is built around a fastball and slider, with an occasional changeup and knuckle curve, and the report notes that while he has average velocity, his control and command are issues. He’ll have six years of team control left after this season.
For Texas, this marks a rough end to Smith’s run with the club. He came over in the Joey Gallo deal in 2021 and spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a frequently used bench player who didn’t do much at the plate. Then he put together two strong seasons in 2024 and 2025, hitting .254/.336/.380 with 6.4 bWAR across 293 games, even though he tailed off badly in the final two months of both years.
Smith opened the 2026 season as the fill-in for Marcus Semien at second base, but the job didn’t stick. Ineffectiveness, a strained glute, and then viral meningitis while he was on the injured list with that strained glute pushed him out of the role and opened the door for Ezequiel Duran or Nicky Lopez, depending on who else was sidelined.
Smith has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining after this season and is making $3.23 million this year. The deal trims about $1 million from Texas’ remaining 2026 obligation to him and removes the possibility of having to decide whether to non-tender him if he doesn’t rebound over the final two months.
Stephan, 24, is a Texas native whom the Rangers signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He’s described as a pitchability arm who performed well in the lower minors but had trouble once he reached Double-A and Triple-A, which is often the path for pitchers with that profile. He was on track to become a minor league free agent after the season, and the Rangers almost certainly were not planning to add him to the 40-man roster.
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Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]