Mets' waiver claim of Penn Murfee becomes David Stearns' first move
Mariners relief pitcher Penn Murfee throws to first for an out on the Athletics' Esteury Ruiz during the ninth inning of a game in Oakland, Calif., on May 3. Credit: AP
The Mets created the answer to a trivia question Tuesday: Who was the first major-leaguer acquired by David Stearns’ Mets?
They claimed Penn Murfee, a sidearming righthanded reliever, off waivers from the Mariners, a low-risk move with an eye toward the second half of 2024 and beyond.
Murfee, 29, posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 80 appearances the past two seasons. He had Tommy John surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in July, which will sideline him well into next season.
A 33rd-round draft pick out of Santa Clara University in 2018, Murfee dabbled with starting during his climb through the minors but transitioned to a full-time relief role in 2021. As a rookie in 2022, he wound up earning a high-leverage job with the Mariners, who have been effective at turning unheralded arms into impact bullpen pieces in recent years.
Murfee does not throw hard (89 mph on average with his fastballs when he was healthy as a rookie) but leans heavily on a sweeping slider, which he throws more than half the time.
With a full offseason to come, the Mets’ bullpen picture for next season is blurry. Aside from Edwin Diaz, few from the 2023 group are guaranteed to return.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
