White Sox acquire intriguing lefty reliever from Boston in a trade

As Major League Baseball teams shuffled around rosters to protect players from the Rule 5 draft on Tuesday, the White Sox linked up with a familiar source. The White Sox completed a trade with the Boston Red Sox for the third time in the past two seasons, acquiring left-handed reliever Chris Murphy from the Red Sox for minor league catcher Ronny Hernandez. The 21 year-old Hernandez has fallen off the radar after a .338/.430/.493 slash line in the Rookie League as a 19 year-old in 2023. He’s spent the past two season in Kannapolis, but only had a .680 OPS in 82 games in 2025. It’s a relatively insignificant return as Boston looked to open a 40-man roster spot to protect players from Rule 5

Murphy, 27, was a sixth round pick by the Red Sox in the 2019 draft, playing his college ball at University of San Diego. He began his professional career as a starter, dominating in a small sample size in the Rookie league in 2019. He wasn’t quite as effective over the next two seasons, but he reached Triple-A Worcester in 2022 and seemed to be knocking on the door of the big leagues. Murphy struggled to a 6.32 ERA in 2023 before going down with an injury. He ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 season. 

After a couple brief rehab stops, Murphy returned to Triple-A Worcester in 2025 and had much more success than his previous stint. His 3.38 ERA in 13 appearances was enough to earn him the big league call up, where he posted a 3.12 ERA in 34.2 innings for the Red Sox. Now, he’ll head to Chicago with a chance to make his first Opening Day roster. 

Murphy adds another left-handed relief option for Will Venable

Murphy won’t blow anyone away with his velocity, but he features an intriguing six-pitch mix, and has dabbled with a Splitter for his seventh. His 53.8% ground ball rate in 2025 was elite, and he thrives on soft contact. His biggest issue was his control. Murphy walked 13.5% of the hitters he faced last season, so the White Sox may consider simplifying his arsenal to focus on throwing strikes. 
It's unclear whether the White Sox plan to keep Murphy in the bullpen or try him again as a starting pitcher, but his recent success as a reliever makes that the simplest route forward.

While he’s not the proven ninth inning commodity the White Sox need, Murphy adds another intriguing left-handed arm to the bullpen mix for 2026. With additions like Mike Vasil and Brandon Eisert, the White Sox have found quality relievers in creative ways in recent seasons, and a successful season in Chicago could continue that trend.