The Chicago Cubs have made another out-of-nowhere trade to shore up pitching depth.
The team announced after Saturday's loss that it acquired right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray from the Houston Astros in exchange for Double-A first baseman Cameron Sisneros.
The Astros designated the 29-year-old Murray for assignment on June 16. The reliever made just eight appearances for Houston this season, posting a 7.43 ERA and striking out eight over 13.1 innings pitched.
Murray's most recent appearance came the day before he was DFA'd, when he allowed two earned runs on three hits over two innings in the Astros' 9-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers .
In his Triple-A stints this season, Murray has a 1.17 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.
Originally a 23rd-round draft pick out of Dixie State University (now Utah Tech) by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019, Murray was traded to Houston in 2022 and did not make his MLB debut until last season. He had a 1.54 ERA in 2025 but made just nine appearances spanning 11.2 innings.
Murray is much more seasoned in the minors, where he's logged 132 games and 368 total innings since 2019. He has a 3.67 career ERA in MiLB.
In exchange for Murray, the Astros received Sisneros, whom the Cubs drafted in the 14th round in 2024 out of East Tennessee State.
Sisneros, 25, hit a combined .265 with 37 RBI and a .841 OPS with High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville this season. He's a career .266 hitter in the minors and has 16 home runs, 95 RBI and 15 stolen bases since he began his pro career with Single-A Myrtle Beach two years ago.
The Cubs are famously in need of pitching depth in a season that's seen them lose far too many pitchers to the injured list.
Aside from losing Cade Horton for the season (Tommy John surgery), the team is currently without Jameson Taillon until after the All-Star break (hamstring strain). They just lost Daniel Palencia for multiple weeks to a mild flexor strain, a similar injury to the one that set back Justin Steele 's return from the elbow surgery he underwent last April. Steele is ramping up his recovery , but is still a ways away from returning to the mound for the Cubs.
Matthew Boyd has been out since early May after receiving minor meniscus surgery, but he is the closest injured Cub to returning after completing a rehab outing at High-A South Bend on Saturday.
The Cubs chose to DFA Luis Peralta to make room for Murray on the 40-man roster. Peralta was added earlier this season off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cubs/onsi as Cubs Acquire Astros' Jayden Murray in Exchange for Minor Leaguer in Latest Trade .
