The Pittsbugh Pirates added a former Athletics bullpen arm to their team.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates signed a relief pitcher with MLB experience this past season to their franchise.
The Pirates signed right-haned reliever Noah Murdock to a minor league deal on Nov. 14 and then assigned him to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to his transactions log.
What the Pirates Get in Noah Murdock
Murdock is a 27-year old relief pitcher that has spent most of his time in the minor leagues, outside of a brief MLB stint this past season.
He has three main options in his pitch-mix, with a sinker, a cutter and a sweeper. He also possesses a changeup, which he rarely throws, plus a four-seamer, that is hardly thrown compared to his sinker or cutter.
Murdock fits into the Pirates relief pitcher mold, keeping his pitches more so towards either side of the plate horizontally. He also has above average extension on his delivery, where he throws from a lower position.
He gets some strong break on his pitches, which definitely led to higher whiff rates, including on his sweeper, 35.7%, and his cutter, 33.3%.
Noah Murdock’s Background
Murdock hails from Richmond, Va. and attended Colonial Heights High School in Colonial Heights, Va.
The Washington Nationals selected Murdock in the 38th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, but he turned them down, honoring his commitment to Virginia.
Murdock served as part of the starting rotation with the Cavaliers for three seasons, before the Kansas City Royals took him in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the 199th overall pick.
He spent his first three seasons in the minor leagues as a starting pitcher, before transitioning to the bullpen starting with the 2023 campaign.
Murdock had a strong 2024 season, with a 3.16 ERA over 46 appearances between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha.
The Athletics decided they would take Murdock in the Rule 5 Draft after that season and he made the 2025 Opening Day roster.
Murdock struggled during his time with the Athletics, posting a 13.24 ERA over 14 bullpen outings and 17.0 innings pitched, with a .347 opposing batting average and a 2.71 WHIP.
He gave up multiple runs in six outings and allowed five runs or more in three outings with the Athletics.
The Athletics designated him for assignment on May 9 and he returned to the Royals, who kept him at Triple-A the rest of the season, where he posted a 6.00 ERA over 16 outings and 21.0 innings pitched.
The Pirates Bullpen Situation This Offseason
Pittsburgh has 12 true relief pitchers on their 40-man roster, which changed after reinstating players from the 60-day injured list and protecting players from the Rule 5 Draft.
It includes MLB pitchers like Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana, pitchers that bounced between the minors and MLB in Kyle Nicolas, Cam Sanders Chase Shugart, Evan Sisk, plus recent additions to the 40-man roster in Brandon Bidois, Ryan Harbin and Tyler Samaniego.
Whether Murdock can make the MLB roster at some point is unknown, but he’ll need to perform much better at Indianapoils before he even gets a shot with Pittsburgh.
