The Astros are trading right-hander Jayden Murray to the Cubs, reports Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston. Double-A first baseman Cameron Sisneros goes to Houston in return. The Cubs are designating left-hander Luis Peralta for assignment to make room for Murray on their 40-man roster, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
Murray was designated for assignment earlier this week when Hunter Brown returned from the injured list. That took Murray off the Astros’ 40-man roster. As for the Cubs, they can option Murray to Triple-A if they wish, as he has three option years remaining. Considering Murray’s lackluster results in the Majors, getting optioned is a likely outcome.
Murray debuted with Houston last year at age 28 and has thrown 25 big league innings since then. He has a 4.68 ERA in that sample along with a middling 14.7% strikeout rate. Hitters have batted .341 in balls in play off Murray, which suggests he’s been a little unlucky. At the same time, Murray has given up plenty of hard contact and has a 5.02 SIERA in the Majors, so even with the bad luck, he still looks the part of a fringe, Quad-A reliever at best.
A 23rd-round draft pick by the Rays in 2019, Murray spent most of his minor league career as a starter. After missing nearly all of the 2024 season due to injuries, he converted to full-time relief work in 2025. The results were middling. Murray pitched 64 innings over 50 appearances at Triple-A that season, but he had a 4.64 ERA that was backed up by the expected numbers. He’s had more success at Triple-A this year, posting a 1.17 ERA in 15 1/3 innings along with improved strikeout, walk, and ground ball rates. That and his mid-90s velocity could make Murray mildly intriguing to the Cubs, albeit only as a depth acquisition.
Sisneros, who turned 25 on June 1st, was a 14th-round draft pick by the Cubs in 2024. He reached High-A in 2025 and continued at that level to start this season, posting a 127 wRC+ and walking more than he struck out. Sisneros reached Double-A last month and continued to hit well, posting a 122 wRC+ in 57 plate appearances. He’s played a handful of innings in left field but is by and large a first baseman and DH. Sisneros figures to continue at Double-A for the Astros.
As for Peralta, he loses his 40-man roster spot without having appeared at the big league level for Chicago. The Cubs claimed Peralta off waivers from the Cardinals early last month, and he pitched to a 4.70 ERA in 15 1/3 Triple-A innings with his new organization. Peralta walked 22.2% of opposing hitters in that sample, continuing his reputation as a wild pitcher. The 25-year-old has only thrown 31 1/3 big league innings with a middling 6.03 ERA, though perhaps he’ll garner interest on waivers on account of his youth and mid-90s fastball velocity.
Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images
