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Giants, catcher Tom Murphy reach 2-year, $8M deal, sources say

Free agent catcher Tom Murphy and the San Francisco Giants have agreed on an $8 million, two-year contract, sources told ESPN on Monday, confirming multiple reports.

The deal has a third-year club option, sources said.

Less than a week after landing South Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee on a $113 million, six-year contract, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi added a veteran behind the plate who could share time with Patrick Bailey following his stellar rookie season on defense. Blake Sabol served as a backup in 2023 but can also play the outfield and could be used more regularly at Triple-A Sacramento with the addition of Murphy.

Murphy, 32, spent the past four years with Seattle after playing his first four major league seasons for Colorado. He batted .290 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs over 47 games for the Mariners this year.

San Francisco has missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons after winning a franchise-record 107 games and the National League West in 2021. The Giants tried without success to acquire Shohei Ohtani, making a final offer Zaidi called "very comparable if not identical" to the record $700 million, 10-year contract the Japanese two-way star agreed to with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Giants also claimed right-hander Devin Sweet off waivers from Oakland.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.