Chicago bolsters its bullpen depth by acquiring righty Jayden Murray from Houston, banking on his high-velocity fastball.
The Chicago Cubs made another small trade on Saturday evening.
The North Siders traded away Double-A first baseman Cameron Sisneros in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray. Murray was designated for assignment by the Houston Astros earlier this week, and the Cubs decided to make a move for the 29-year-old reliever.
Chicago’s front office has been very active in adding pitchers to this organization over the last few months. Tyler Ferguson, Aaron Bummer, Liam Hendriks, Christian Roa, Eduarniel Nunez, Yosver Zulueta, and now Murray have all been added via claims, trades, or free agent signings since early May.
Murray is an interesting pickup by the Cubs because he really struggled with the Astros in his limited Major League innings this year. He allowed 11 earned runs with eight strikeouts across 13 ⅓ innings pitched (7.43 ERA) before being designated for assignment.
Murray didn’t show many encouraging things in the big leagues this season. He allowed multiple runs in five of his eight relief appearances and owned a poor 90.7 mph average exit velocity, 12.9% strikeout rate, 11.3% walk rate, 40.4% hard-hit rate, and a 8.5% barrel rate.
However, the former 23rd-round pick does have a plus fastball that averages around 95.3 mph. It is by far his best pitch, and his four-seam fastball had a solid 23.2% whiff rate in his 13 ⅓ innings of work.
The Cubs obviously have to retool Murray’s arsenal. His fastball-type pitches (four-seam, cutter, sinker) could all be slightly better, and his offspeed stuff (changeup, sweeper) could be more consistent on the mound.
Despite the poor numbers with the Astros in 2026, Murray has thrown the ball well in the past.
The 29-year-old had a 1.54 ERA, a 1.114 WHIP, and eight strikeouts across 11 ⅔ innings in the majors back in 2025. He had an elite 6.4% walk rate, and his 28.2% chase rate ranked around league average.
Then, Murray posted strong numbers at Triple-A Sugar Land to start this season. He had a 1.17 ERA, a 0.783 WHIP, and a 31.6% strikeout rate in 14 appearances and saved six games for the Space Cowboys. His strikeout upside was definitely on display in those 15 ⅓ innings.
Murray will likely now head to Triple-A Iowa. He’ll get to work with the Cubs’ pitching lab in hopes of reaching his full potential on the mound.
To acquire the 29-year-old reliever, the Cubs had to part ways with Sisneros. The lefty-swinging first baseman was selected in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB Draft and slashed .265/.419/.422 with six home runs, eight doubles, 37 RBI across 49 games at High-A and Double-A this season.
