The Chicago White Sox moved a promising Triple-A arm on Monday, shipping right-handed reliever Ben Peoples to the Texas Rangers in exchange for High-A catcher Ben Hartl in a one-for-one minor league swap that left the South Side fanbase scratching its head.
Neither player holds a spot on a 40-man roster, and neither has appeared in a big-league game. That made the deal all the more puzzling to observers who watched Peoples post his best professional numbers just before the trade.
Ben Peoples’ Texas Rangers Trade
Peoples, 25, was having the strongest stretch of his minor league career when Chicago pulled the plug. His 2026 numbers at Triple-A Charlotte tell the story with 29 appearances, a 5-1 record, a 2.39 ERA, 45 strikeouts across 37.2 innings, and a 1.088 WHIP. Opposing hitters batted just .156 against him. The fastball sits at 96 mph, and the slider plays up in shorter outings — exactly the profile teams spend years developing.
Peoples was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 22nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Giles County High School in Ardmore, Tenn. He spent his early career as a starter, grinding through Rookie ball, Single-A, High-A, and Double-A before the Rays moved him to Chicago on July 31, 2025, as part of the three-player package for right-hander Adrian Houser, alongside Curtis Mead and Duncan Davitt.
Over seven minor league seasons, Peoples posted a career 3.40 ERA across 349.2 innings and 146 games, striking out 411 batters. He was unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, meaning Texas now controls his fate, and he faces minor-league free agency eligibility if the Rangers don’t protect him after the 2026 season.
Brooke Fletcher of the Chicago Sports Network broke the news.
“Minor news: Sox are trading RHP Ben Peoples to Texas for C Ben Hartl,” Fletcher wrote, adding that Hartl is a Springfield native and Heartland Community College alum who was teammates in 2023 with White Sox outfielder Sam Antonacci.
LaMond Pope of The Chicago Tribune confirmed the deal within minutes.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News offered the Texas angle, noting that the move could help Rangers bullpen depth.
The South Side reaction landed somewhere between baffled and resigned.
“This trade is a head-scratcher,” White Sox Now posted. “Ben Peoples has emerged as a promising pitching prospect and the organization has good catching depth.”
Sports Mockery put it more plainly, writing that “for an organization with seemingly good catching depth and a need for pitching, the move is a head-scratcher.”
The Prospect Times was more accepting from the Rangers’ vantage point, posting on social media, “Not a bad trade. Ben Peoples has a 2.39 ERA in 37.2 innings in Triple-A this season.”
Ben Hartl’s White Sox Arrival and His Minor League Career
Hartl, 23, brings a package that’s easier to understand in theory than in the current stat sheet. The Springfield, Ill., native was selected by Texas in the 14th round, 435th overall, in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Kansas, where he posted a .309/.460/.599 slash line with 11 home runs in 45 games, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, according to KU Athletics. His walk rate and on-base ability were the highlights of his statistical profile.
At High-A Hub City in 2026, his numbers were less than impressive, with a .218/.369/.317 line and three home runs plus 16 RBI in 32 games. He has thrown out 12 of 38 attempted base-stealers, a 31.6% caught-stealing rate that stands out as a potential defensive asset. Neither Baseball America nor FanGraphs ranks him among Texas’ top 30 organizational prospects.
As for the Antonacci-Hartl connection, Joe Binder of Sox On 35th noted that both players came out of Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill., with Antonacci now operating at the MLB level on Chicago’s active roster. Whether that familiarity factored into the front office’s calculus is unknown. What’s clear is the White Sox moved a reliever pitching his best baseball — FanGraphs‘ James Fegan ranked him the organization’s No. 33 prospect entering this offseason — in exchange for a catcher with tools but no top-30 standing in any system. The South Side jury is still very much out.
TRADE: Baseball Reacts as White Sox Deal Breakout Reliever Ben Peoples