Murray chooses NFL over baseball
Athletics lose gamble on Heisman winner; Brach finalizes deal with Cubs
When Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma last season, the Oakland Athletics knew there was a chance he might chose football over baseball. That is exactly what happened. Onthe day the A’s started spring training workouts, Murray said he will pursue a career in the NFL.
“I am firmly and fully committing my life and time to becoming an NFL quarterback,” Murray tweeted. “Football has been my love and passion my entire life. I was raised to play QB, and I very much look forward to dedicating 100 percent of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships. I have started an extensive training program to further prepare myself for upcoming workouts and interviews. I eagerly await the opportunity to continue to prove to NFL decision makers that I am the franchise QB in this draft.”
Murray passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns last season as the Sooners landed a second straight College Football Playoff berth. He ran for 1,001 yards and another 12 scores, posting the second-best passer efficiency rating in Bowl Subdivision history.
He declared himself eligible for April’s NFL draft last month. He is not a prototypical NFL quarterback at just 5 feet 10 and 195 pounds, but his skills make him an intriguing option.
The A’s thought so, too.
Murray was the ninth overall pick in last June’s baseball amateur draft, and the outfielder agreed to a minor league contract with Oakland for a $4.66 million signing bonus. The deal called for him to receive $1.5 million after approval last summer by Major League Baseball and $3.16 million on March 1. Murray must return six-sevenths of the money he received, or $1,285,714. While there is a provision for a team to get an extra draft pick in the following draft if it fails to sign a player selected prior to the fourth round, there is no such provision for a player who signed and then decided not to play.
Oakland had a locker with a No. 73 jersey waiting for Murray at its facility in suburban Phoenix.
“We took the best athlete on the board and who we thought was probably the best baseball player on the board, too,” Athletics general manager David Forst said. “We’ve known all along this was a possibility. We knew he had a great option in the NFL, so we’ve known for a while that there was a chance this was going to happen.”
Murray showed off his skills taking batting practice at the Coliseum in an A’s uniform back in June, greeted by “WELCOME TO OAKLAND” on the big scoreboard with his photo. That was before he led the Sooners to the Big 12 Conference title behind his blazing speed and pinpoint throws.
Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders played both football and baseball, but Jackson was a running back and Sanders a cornerback.
“Quarterback is a very demanding position, as is being a Major League baseball player,” said Billy Beane, Oakland’s executive vice president of baseball operations. “To say somebody could or couldn’t, I’m not here to say that. Something like that is something that is part of our private discussions.”
A’s manager Bob Melvin added: “He’s one of those rare athletes, who I think any sport that he played, he’d probably excel at.”
MOREATHLETICS: Oakland added depth at catcher, agreeing to a minor league contract with former Orioles catcher Nick Hundley.
If added to the 40-man roster, the 35-year-old would get a one-year contract paying a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues.
He was catching during Oakland’s opening training workout.
Jonathan Lucroy left as a free agent for the Angels, and Chris Herrmann and Josh Phegley are the only catchers on Oakland’s 40-man roster. The team also is high on Sean Murphy, a third-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft.
Hundley hit .241 in 96 games with the San Francisco Giants last season.
CUBS: Former Orioles reliever Brad Brach and Chicago finalized a one-year contract that guarantees the reliever $3 million and could be worth $8 million over two seasons.
Brach gets a $1.65 million salary this year and could earn $1.35 million in bonuses for days on the active major league roster: $350,000 for one, and $500,000 each for 120 and 150.
Chicago has a $5 million team option for 2020 under the deal announced Monday. If the Cubs decline, Brach has a $1.35 million player option with a $100,000 buyout.
The right-hander had 12 saves and a 3.59 ERA in 69 games for the Orioles and Braves last season. He posted a 1.52 ERA over 27 appearances following a trade to the Braves.
Brach debuted with the Padres in 2011 and made an All-Star team with the Orioles in 2016. He has a career 3.08 ERA and 33 saves. The Cubs needed bullpen help with closer Brandon Morrow likely missing the start of the season while recovering from elbow surgery.
GIANTS: Stephen Vogt is ready to do whatever he can to take pressure off Buster Posey as both catchers work to bounce back from surgeries that cut their 2018 seasons short.
Vogt is returning to the Bay Area after agreeing to a minor league contract with theGiants.
He shared the news in a text message Monday, when he arrived in the Arizona desert from his home in snowy Washington state — “14 inches,” he noted saying Arizona felt great already — and headed to the club's spring training complex in Scottsdale, where pitchers and catchers report Tuesday.
San Francisco also agreed to a minor league deal last week with catcher Rene Rivera.
“I definitely believe it presents a good opportunity. Obviously Buster, he's the guy. If he's not going to be 100 percent then hopefully we can pick up the slack and hold the fort down until he's ready to go 100 percent,” Vogt said by phone from Phoenix. “For me, too, I have to get healthy first as well. I know Rene Rivera is going to play a big part in that as well and I'm excited to work with him.”