Texas acquired right-hander
Brandon McCarthy from the
Chicago White Sox in a five-player deal Saturday in which the Rangers gave up their 2003 first-round pick.
John Danks, the ninth overall pick three years ago, and fellow right-handers
Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner were sent to Chicago for McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano.
The 23-year-old McCarthy already has 65 major league appearances (12 starts), and is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA. He has 117 career strikeouts while walking only 50 batters in 151 2/3 innings.
McCarthy worked primarily out of the bullpen for the first time last season, and was 10th in the AL with 75 1/3 innings worked in relief. The Rangers plan to use him as a starter.
"We're thrilled to add Brandon McCarthy to our rotation and expect he'll be there for many years to come," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "It's never easy to deal young players you're fond of, but Brandon's age, makeup, and ability is a rare combination we could not pass on."
Danks split last season between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma, where he combined to go 9-9 with a 4.24 ERA in 27 games (26 starts). He has a career minor league record of 21-30 with a 4.20 ERA in 92 games (82 starts).
Masset made his major league debut last year with Texas, with no record and a 4.15 ERA in eight relief appearances. Rasner spent the entire 2006 season at Class-A Clinton, going 6-16 with a 5.41 ERA in 27 starts.
The 18-year-old Paisano appeared in 52 games for the White Sox Venezuelan Summer League team in 2006 and batted .338 with no home runs and 17 RBI.