The A’s have always tried to find easy or cheap ways to add talent to the organization, whether or not the team is expecting to contend or is going through a rebuild. The Rule 5 Draft has been an excellent
way to take advantage of other teams’ blocked prospects and the Athletics almost always use their selection to pry away a talented player. This past year saw the A’s use their pick on right-handed starter Noah Murdock, plucking him out of the Kansas City Royals’ farm system. So how did the rookie do in his first taste of the big leagues?
How Was He Acquired?
The Athletics had the fourth overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft last year thanks to their awful record. Using their selection they decided to add some pitching when they took Murdock out of the Royals’ Triple-A pitching staff and added him to their big league team. It felt like a decent enough add at the time especially for a team in need of some relief help.
What Were The Expectations?
When the A’s select a player in the Rule 5 Draft, they almost always at least roster them for the first couple of months of the given season. The Athletics had a big gaping hole in their bullpen and while they had some bodies they needed to take a gamble here and there and go for upside. Murdock wasn’t expected to be the next Mason Miller by any stretch but he had a solid track record of keeping the ball on the ground, something that could be very valuable for an A’s team that was about to play their first season in a hitter-friendly home ballpark. If he turned in an even halfway decent campaign the club could stomach any growing pains if it meant having control over him for years to come.
2025 Results
Murdock’s time with the A’s went about as horribly as one could have expected. The righty did begin the year in the bullpen and had a scoreless first appearance as a major leaguer. His second appearance did not go so well as he allowed six earned runs in just one inning pitched. That would be a sign of things to come for Murdock. Over the first month of the season the righty got lit up, allowing 17 runs in just 11 1/3 frames.
When he didn’t have his best stuff he would get hit hard. His last outing of April saw him yield seven earned runs without recording a single out and essentially ruining any chance of a comeback in that contest. Murdock lasted three more appearances in May but when he allowed another pair of runs to lose a close game against the Mariners, the A’s decided they had seen enough. The club designated Murdock for assignment two days later, ending his time with the Athletics organization. He would return to Kansas City, where he remained with their Triple-A team for the rest of the season. In his first taste of the majors Murdock posted a 13.24 ERA in just 14 games, followed by an even 6.00 ERA back in Triple-A with the Royals.
2026 Outlook
Murdock elected free agency at the end of the year, his first time on the market. He was only a free agent for just over a week as he quickly elected to sign on with the pitching-needy Pittsburgh Pirates, where he could have a decent shot to make the team and maybe earn another extended look in their ’pen. The Pirates have some quality pitching they’ve accumulated but it’s likely they’ll need depth and Murdock will provide that for them in the coming season.
