Rangers invite former Blue Jays reliever with high upside to spring training

Rangers continue bullpen rebuild by bringing back former Blue Jays righty Patrick Murphy

The Texas Rangers and righty reliever Patrick Murphy have agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp, the team announced. The Rangers also confirmed they signed righty Nabil Crismatt.

Murphy, 30, made 14 appearances for Triple-A Round Rock last year after signing a minor league deal with the Rangers last offseason, posting a 3.18 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks across 22 2/3 innings. The Rangers granted his release in July to allow him to sign with the Korean Baseball Organization's KT Wiz. In 60 2/3 innings with the Wiz, Murphy managed a 3.12 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 21 walks.

Murphy relies on just three pitches: a mid-90s four-seamer and sinker and a low-80s curveball.

The righty last appeared in the big leagues in 2022 with the Washington Nationals. He had a 6.35 ERA with four strikeouts and eight walks across 5 2/3 innings with Washington that season. He made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020, allowing just one earned run in six innings across four outings.

After Murphy had a 4.82 ERA in 9 1/3 innings with Toronto in 2021, the Blue Jays designated him for assignment in August of that year and the Nationals claimed him. He finished the season by allowing 11 earned runs on 19 hits and six walks over 18 2/3 innings with Washington.

Murphy elected free agency after the 2022 season and signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. He spent the entire 2023 season with Triple-A St. Paul, posting a 3.69 ERA in 85 1/3 innings across 42 appearances.

The former Blue Jays righty spent the 2024 season in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball's Nippon-Ham Fighters. In 38 2/3 innings as a bullpen arm for the Fighters, Murphy had a 3.26 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 15 walks across 40 appearances.

The Rangers still need to make plenty more offseason moves to rebuild their depleted bullpen, but bringing back Murphy and Crismatt on minor league deals, along with signing righty Alexis Díaz and lefty Tyler Alexander to MLB contracts, is a good start for Texas, a team trying to return to the postseason while operating on a tight budget.