The Chicago Cubs have made an addition to their bullpen.
MLB insider Ari Alexander reported on June 20 that the Cubs have acquired right-handed reliever Jayden Murray from the Houston Astros.
“TRADE! Sources: The Astros are trading RHP Jayden Murray to the Cubs. Cubs Double-A 1B Cameron Sisneros has been traded to the Astros,” Alexander wrote on X.
The Cubs made the trade just hours after the bullpen struggled again and blew the second game of the series to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Murray is in his second-year in the MLB and has struggled this season. Murray is 0-0 with a 7.43 ERA in 8 games this season with the Astros. Last season, he had a 1.54 ERA in 9 games. The 29-year-old reliever was originally selected in the 23rd round, with the 698th overall selection by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 MLB Draft.
In return, the Cubs gave up Cameron Sisneros, who’s a 25-year-old first baseman. In Double-A this season, he’s hitting .265 with 6 home runs and 37 RBIs. He began the year in High-A. Chicago selected him in the 14th round in the 2024 MLB Draft, and he isn’t a top-30 prospect.
Cubs Fans React to Trade
Following the news of the trade, many Cubs fans had mixed feelings about the trade.
“Unless the Cubs think they can fix him, Houston is probably more than happy to get rid of him. Nothing special,” a fan wrote.
“Jed cannot resist pitchers the Astros don’t want,” a fan added.
“Hmmmmm. Not sure why,” a fan wrote.
Houston DFA’d Murray earlier this week after Hunter Brown returned, so Chicago is taking a flier on the reliever.
“Jed seems like he is grasping at straws,” a fan wrote.
“The Astros DFA’d Murray, so I wouldn’t imagine the 1B the Astros are getting is highly touted,” a fan wrote.
“Not really the deal I was looking for Jed,” a fan added.
“Based off his ERA. He will fit right in,” a fan wrote.
It’s clear that many Cubs fans aren’t thrilled with the deal and feel like the team has to do more.
Chicago Blows Game to Blue Jays
The Cubs looked like they were on their way to winning on June 20, but the bullpen faltered.
Chicago’s bullpen surrendered eight runs across the seventh and eighth innings, which was frustrating to manager Craig Counsell.
“We just didn’t have a good day in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “Colin pitched great. He definitely put us in position to win. When you have three guys kind of have bad days, we gave up a lot of runs because of it. We just didn’t get it done today.”
Jacob Webb struggled again, as he’s now allowed seven runs in his last five appearances.
“I just didn’t … execute today. Period. Plain and simple,” Webb said. “I’m coming in to stop the game right there. It’s not anything other than that. I mean, the last few outings, I’ve just made mistake after mistake, truly. And it’s pretty … frustrating, I’m not going to lie.”
The Cubs will look for the series win on Sunday at 1:20 p.m. CT.
Cubs Acquire 2-Year MLB Pitcher Amid Bullpen Woes During Blue Jays Series