ESPN's Pardon the Interruption debates if Kyler Murray should return to baseball with A's

Once the new year officially begins in the NFL, Kyler Murray will officially become a free agent. Reports have indicated other teams will be interested in signing the quarterback. Still, nobody knows exactly what could be next for Murray. Maybe changing sports is an option, with A’s general manager David Forst saying they would be open to the idea.

Murray has not publicly discussed returning to baseball but Frost’s comments opened debate for everyone else. ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption discussed the possibility, with Tony Kornheiser saying Murray should consider getting back on the diamond.

“If I’m Kyler Murray, I would and I would say it’s because I was a first-round draft choice,” Kornheiser said. “But if he goes down that road, there’s serious questions that have to be answered. Kyler Murray has now made $170 million in football. So, he doesn’t need money. But if he wants money, he can go out right now, get a three or four-year deal for another $100 million. If he is going to go to baseball, you have to be serious about it. I think you have to commit to it for at least two years.”

Money aside, the A’s would need to know if Murray is still capable of playing up to his first-round selection. Specifically in the batter’s box, where you have to imagine live action has not come since playing at Oklahoma. And even then, there is a big difference between the Sooners playing in the Big 12 and potentially being on an MLB roster.

“Can he hit Major League pitching?” Kornheiser asked. “He’s got months before football starts again. If I were Kyler Murray, and I was serious, I would go to the A’s training camp, I would go to a backfield. I would say ‘Give me all your Major League pitches and let me see if I can hit.’ Because if I can hit, I can play.”

Murray played for Oklahoma baseball in 2018, just a few months before winning the Heisman Trophy. His numbers certainly pop out, hitting .296 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in just 226 plate appearances. An OPS of .954 sums everything up well. The statistical profile, at the college level, was certainly there.

The then-Oakland A’s drafted him ninth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. More than just his offensive profile stood out to them. Michael Wilbon believes those traits could be the entry back into baseball for Murray before echoing Kornheiser’s concern.

“He was considered a five-tool player at his height in college,” Wilbon said. “We know three of those tools, he’s gotta still have. We know he can run, we know he can throw, and chances are pretty damn good he can still field. So, the question, like you said, for average and/or power, can he hit Major League pitching?”