The focal point of the Braves offseason has been centered around pitching, and that continued Wednesday night, as they inked Penn Murfee and Jackson Stephens to one-year contracts.
Murfee was claimed by the Braves then non-tendered and has now re-signed with the team. One has to wonder if he and Alex Anthopoulos had some sort of agreement before they made the decision to non-tender him.
Murfee is a really solid reliever. He posted a 2.99 ERA in 64 appearances for the Mariners in 2022 and was performing even better this year, recording a 1.29 ERA in his first 16 appearances. However, Tommy John surgery ended his season in June. That’s a 12-18 month recovery, so it seems unlikely he’ll be back in 2024. But given that it’s a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, there’s little risk on the Braves' end.
Jackson Stephens was a big part of the Braves bullpen in 2022, posting a 3.69 ERA across 39 appearances. He dealt with injuries for a large part of 2023, but he did make it back by the end of the season and appeared in five games, allowing four runs over 12 innings.
It’s evident Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves are not messing around with their pitching staff. As things stand, they are already poised to have one of the best bullpens in baseball. The signings of Murfee and Stephens may not seem important now, but there’s a chance one of them pitches some important innings down the road. It’s quality depth for the Braves to have in their back pocket.
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