LSU Baseball Signee Decommits From Team After the MLB Draft

LSU got so many players in its freshman signee class to not sign with major league clubs that the roster is being slightly cut down.

Outfielder Anthony Murphy becomes the second player to decommit ahead of the 2027 season, following catcher Masen Belding. This doesn't come as too much of a surprise, as LSU's outfield room is chalk-full in the upcoming spring and Murphy needs to get playing time as soon as he can.

Murphy is a draft-eligible sophomore, so going somewhere where he can get playing time as soon as possible is necessary for him.

"Being committed to LSU has been an incredible honor, and I'll always be thankful for the relationships I've built and the support I've received," Murphy said in his announcement on Instagram

Murphy was selected in the 16th round by the Washington Nationals but will not sign, as he said he is reopening his recruitment.

"This decision was not made lightly and is in no way a reflection of LSU, its coaches, or the program," Murphy added. "I have nothing but respect and appreciation for everything they've done for me."

Where does this leave LSU?

Ashton Larson throws the ball in during a 2024 game | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The impact of this decommittment doesn't affect LSU right away. For the 2026 season, it's outfield is full of studs who will see playing time before Murphy likely would have.

Transfers Angel Laya from Oregon, Bino Watters from Notre Dame and Jason Wachs from Tulane can fill it out by themselves. William Patrick is the lone member of the outfield to return from 2026.

Freshmen Nate Davis, Malachi Washington and Dominic Santarelli also all hold a good chance of making a big impact early. Any one of those guys can be an opening day starter, and would have been ahead of Murphy on the depth chart.

For the 2028 season, the starting outfield may be made entirely of returning players as long as all four underclassmen decide to stick around at LSU. And with the possible addition of more transfers and freshman, Murphy, and others, are getting squeezed out.

Ahead of 2027, LSU's roster as a whole is already busy, sitting at 40 players currently. NCAA has the baseball roster limit set at 34, but LSU exceeded that in 2026 with 38 players because of designated student-athletes.

DSAs don't count against the roster limits, and the players that LSU outlines as DSAs aren't clear yet. Some cuts can still be made to the roster, but it looks like LSU might have everything set for 2026 after being one of the biggest winners of the offseason.

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