Patrick

Murphy

It’s the first large round of cuts that we have seen from the Rangers this spring but certainly won’t be the last. Nothing surprising to see here as none of the 10 players were serious candidates to crack the Opening Day roster.

Murphy returns stateside after last year in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The 29-year-old righty reliever made 35 relief appearances from 2020-2022 between the Blue Jays and Orioles. He’ll function as emergency relief depth for the Rangers.

Murray adds that it’s a one-year deal with an option for 2025, which also includes performance-based incentives and escalators. The 28-year-old righty made 35 appearances in the majors between the Nationals and Blue Jays since 2020. He didn’t pitch in the majors this past season after signing a minor league contract last December with the Twins. He’ll take his talent overseas to Japan in an effort to build up his long-term value.

Murphy made just six relief appearances for the Nationals last year before being removed from the club’s 40-man roster in late April. He stretched out to become a starter over the final few months of the season at Triple-A Rochester and represents an interesting low-risk gamble for the Twins. He’ll likely open the 2023 season at Triple-A St. Paul as organizational pitching depth.

Murphy was designated for assignment last weekend and passed through waivers unclaimed. The 26-year-old righty had allowed six runs -- four earned -- on eight hits and eight walks through 5 2/3 innings this season.

Murphy has been removed from the Nationals’ 40-man roster to make room for Saturday’s starter Aaron Sanchez to be officially added to the team’s active roster. The 26-year-old righty has recorded a bloated 6.35 ERA, 2.82 WHIP and 4/8 K/BB ratio across 5 2/3 innings (six appearances) this season.

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what happened here. Kyle Finnegan had worked in two of the team’s last three games, but didn’t pitch on Thursday so there’s no known reason why he wouldn’t have been available here. Instead it was Murphy -- the 26-year-old right-hander who came on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Anthony Alford, then uncorked a wild pitch to advance him to second base before walking Ben Gamel. He then spiked another wild pitch to advance both runners into scoring position. Murphy got Cole Tucker to pop out on the infield, but that was all manager Dave Martinez needed to see and he went back to the bullpen. Don’t expect Murphy to see any more save chances down the stretch.

This confirms a report from Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. Murphy was recently claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays and should claim a spot in the Nationals’ bullpen for the stretch run.

Murphy was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this month. The 26-year-old has a strong track record in the minors and is worth the gamble for a Nationals team who has shifted into rebuild-mode.

Murphy was designated for assignment in a surprising move by the contending Blue Jays earlier this week and winds up landing with the rebuilding Nationals. The 26-year-old righty has battled some injuries this season, but he’s been effective when healthy. He’ll report to Triple-A Rochester and figures to operate in middle relief for the Nationals sometime in the future.