It’s been a busy two weeks for right-handed reliever Penn Murfee. First, the Braves claimed him off waivers from the Mariners on Nov. 14. They then non-tendered him three days later. Now, the two sides are in agreement on a major league-minor league split deal per Jeff Passan.
Murfee had provided a spark to the Mariners bullpen over the last year and a half. He is a hard-throwing right-hander who could be trusted in almost any situation. In 2022, he pitched to a 4-0 record with a 2.99 ERA through 64 games, including one start across 69.1 innings. In that time, Murfee struck out 76 batters. He came out firing on all cylinders in 2023, lowering his ERA to 1.29 across 14 innings before suffering a season-ending UCL Injury, which would later require surgery.
The deal is only for one year, and Murfee will likely miss the first half of the season. Though, it’s worth noting that he’ll join one of the best rotations in all of baseball. When he becomes healthy, the Braves can look for the 29-year-old to be an impact arm. Over the last two years, he was striking out 27.9% of opponents against a 6.6% walk rate. In the short amount of time that he was with the Mariner’s big league club, he accrued a 1.4 WAR.
Murfee was arguably the most consistent pitcher in the Mariners bullpen a season ago, a season that saw them reach the MLB Playoffs for the first time in 20 years. His sweeper may be one of the best pitches in all of baseball. It nearly gets everybody whiffing.
The Braves have focused heavily on adding depth to their bullpen this season. With the other additions of Jackson Stephens, Aaron Bummer, Jackson Kowar and Reynaldo Lopez.
