KT Wiz of South Korean Baseball Group announced that they have signed right-handed Patrick Murphy A deal worth $277,000 was reached. Right-handed William Cuevas Release with corresponding actions to open the international lineup. (Hat tips for mykbo.net’s Dan Kurtz.)
Murphy has been pitching for the Rangers’ Triple-A branch, but he was released earlier this week on his minor league contract, which is probably the KBO deal is already lined up. This is the second time Murphy has headed overseas to pitch, as he had a 3.26 ERA over 38 2/3 innings in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2024. He followed that performance up with a return to North America and a 3.18 ERA in 22 2/3 frames with Triple-A Round Rock, though with a 16.8% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate providing some less-inspiring peripherals.
Promotion to major leagues is unlikely, and Murphy, now 30, will now head to South Korea for another chapter in his career, starting as the Blue Jays’ third-round pick at the 2013 draft. Murphy’s Major League Baseball career includes 39 2/3 innings, Jays and Nationals from 2020-22, with a ground expert’s ERA of 4.76 ERA that can show him during his professional period. Since his last show, Murphy has also joined the Twins’ minor league system outside of his tenure in the NPB and Rangers.
Kuvas is another former major league player, with the Red Sox and Tigers posting an 8.06 ERA in 22 1/3 innings in the 2016-18 season. Since then, his long career at Wiz, which includes the 2021 Championship Ring, has won his first Korean series victory in franchise history. In parts of seven KBO league seasons, Kuwas had a 3.93 ERA in 872 1/3 innings, but the 5.40 ERA of 98 1/3 frames this season took the 34-year-old from Wiz’s plan. Between his two matches with Wiz, Cuevas played in 2022 at the Mexican League and 2023 at the Dodgers Triple-A Club.
