The New York Mets have made their first addition to the roster under the leadership of new president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Free agency still hasn’t officially opened: the World Series is still being played.
However, players who reach waivers can be claimed, and that’s what the Mets just did.
“We’ve claimed RHP Penn Murfee off waivers from Seattle,” the organization announced via Twitter.
We’ve claimed RHP Penn Murfee off waivers from Seattle.
— New York Mets (@Mets) October 31, 2023
Murfee was able to pitch just 14 innings in 2023, in which he had a 1.29 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
He struck out 16 hitters, but reported elbow pain and tests showed he had inflammation in the area.
Studies confirmed that he had UCL damage and he eventually had surgery, but it wasn’t Tommy John.
The Mariners would have loved to retain him and it certainly would have been the case had he been fully healthy, but he is expected to miss about half the season in 2024.
The M’s needed the roster spot and had to waive him, but Stearns and the Mets are willing to wait for a reliever who posted an impressive 2.70 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a 92/28 K/BB ratio in 83.1 innings in the last two seasons.
The Mets bullpen wasn’t always reliable in 2023 and it actually cost the team some games.
To think that, without doing much, the unit can have Edwin Diaz and Murfee both pitching at full health sometime in June or July is actually really encouraging.
Of course, there is some risk in the move if he fails to regain his velocity, stuff, or command post-surgery.
However, it didn’t cost much to bring him in, and the upside could be significant.
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