The White Sox completed their first significant trade of the offseason this week, as the club acquired LHP Chris Murphy from the Boston Red Sox for catching prospect Ronny Hernandez. In Murphy, the White Sox get an immediate replacement for Fraser Ellard, who has chosen to retire from baseball at age 28. It’s been a turbulent path to the big leagues for Murphy, who was drafted by Boston in the 6th round in 2019. Murphy battled through injuries and struggles with consistency to make it to the big leagues in 2023, and had to get through Tommy John surgery to get back in 2025. Now healthy and with a new organization, Murphy is looking to forge ahead and solidify himself as a bullpen mainstay in the major leagues. Murphy’s 2025 season shows some clear strengths and areas for improvement to focus on for new adventure with the White Sox.
Murphy was difficult to hit during his 34.2 inning sample in Boston last season. As a lefty, he held left-handed hitters to a .196 average and a .597 OPS. It’s normal for left-handed pitchers to excel against same-side hitters, but Murphy did it against right-handers too, holding them to a .158 average and a .598 OPS. Murphy’s success was largely thanks to his 53.8% ground ball rate. Even though hitters had a fairly high 46.2% hard-hit percentage, he kept the ball on the ground effectively, which can allow pitchers to get away with more hard contact. Murphy isn’t a typical heavy sinker profile that you think of when you hear “ground ball pitcher”, but he instead utilizes seven total pitches with a sinker among them. The constant changing of speeds and locations throws hitters off-balance and allows for success.
A deeper look into Murphy's numbers provides a reason for optimism
On the flip side, Murphy’s biggest issue in 2025 was his high walk rate. He walked 20 hitters in 34.2 innings, good for a 13.5% walk rate. This is quite a bit higher than his 8% walk rate during his first big league stint in 2023. In fact, Murphy’s elevated 4.91 ERA from 2023 appears heavily due to tough luck. His xERA in 2023 was quite a bit lower, at 3.63. Murphy’s hard-hit rate and walk rate were both higher in 2025 and his strikeout rate was down. Much of the control struggles and decline in numbers may be attributed to his recent Tommy John surgery. Most pitchers return to full strength following a Tommy John surgery, but it can often be a year or two removed from the surgery where they fully return to 100% of themselves. This could be a reason for optimism for Murphy, who will be another year removed from the surgery when he begins his White Sox tenure.
Murphy’s specific role in the White Sox bullpen has yet to be determined, but he has the stuff to be an effective relief option as long as he keeps changing speeds and keeping the ball down. Beginning the year at full strength could allow for improvement in the control department and help Murphy resolve his main struggle. Murphy could be the first of a few bullpen additions in what may be an otherwise quiet offseason for the White Sox. He’s not a sure thing, but there’s certainly a lot to like in this trade for the White Sox, and Murphy’s health and development will be a story to watch as the 2026 season approaches.