by The Oakland A’s wanted two major league ready position players for catcher Sean Murphy. The Braves had no plans to trade Vaughn Grissom, who they are preparing to potentially replace free agent Dansby Swanson at shortstop. And the A’s didn’t need William Contreras, not after they acquired another catcher from the Braves, Shea Langeliers, in the trade for Matt Olson nine months ago.
In fact, the teams had no match. But on Tuesday, the Braves still got Murphy, parting ways with six players in a three-team trade. Contreras and minor league right-hand Justin Yeager went to the Brewers, along with reliever Joel Payamps of the A’s. Lefty Kyle Muller, catcher Manny Piña, and minor league righties Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas went to the A’s, with Muller filling in for the second position player Oakland was unable to acquire.
Two separate events helped the deal materialize, according to sources familiar with the discussions. First was the Cardinals kingpin walking away from Murphy to sign Contreras’ older brother Willson Contreras to a four-year, $87.5 million free agent deal. Second was the Braves’ willingness to send William Contreras to the Brewers so they could access center fielder Esteury Ruiz, a player the A’s had identified in the clubs as one they wanted for Murphy.
Ruiz, who turns 24 on Feb. 15, was part of the Brewers’ return for Josh Hader at the trade deadline. His arrival in Oakland could jeopardize the future of Cristian Pache, another player that the A’s have acquired in Olson. Ruiz finished the season with a .447 on-base percentage in 541 double-A and triple-A plate appearances. He also stole 85 bases in 99 attempts and should benefit from the new rules baseball is introducing to improve base stealing in 2023 – biggest bases, pickoff and stepoff limits, a pitch clock.
Esteury Ruiz (Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports)
Why would the Brewers trade such an athlete? Because in William Contreras, they’re getting a different kind of athlete, a 2022 All-Star, they’re confident their coaches can help improve defensively, even though the Braves saw him more as a bat. Why would the A’s value Ruiz so highly despite his lack of power? Because they love his speed and ability to play in the centre. Because he improved his contacts and his walking speeds last season. And because they never agreed on an exchange with the cardinals.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing a source, reported that the A’s were looking for a comeback from the Cardinals that included outfielder Lars Nootbaar, Gold Glove winner Brendan Donovan and a young power pitcher in Gordon Graceffo. However, another source familiar with the talks said the A’s wanted Nootbaar or Donovan plus Graceffo. The Cardinals were unwilling to trade any of those players, and instead wanted the A’s to pick two from a group of four consisting of outfielder Dylan Carlson, second baseman Nolan Gorman, outfielder Alec Burleson, and first baseman Juan Yepez .
When the teams couldn’t reach an agreement, the Cardinals signed Willson Contreras, dropping their second-highest pick in the 2023 draft and $500,000 from their international bonus pool, but keeping all their young talent. Evaluation of Murphy’s trade, therefore, will include an analysis of whether the Cardinals would have done better to trade Murphy, 28, for three years than sign Contreras, who turns 31 on May 13, to the biggest deal in the club history for a free agent from another club. And the questions won’t end there.
Was this deal necessary for the Braves? Did they give up too much? The answers won’t be immediately apparent and could change if the Braves sign Murphy to one of their long-term patented extensions. However, William Contreras, Piña and Travis d’Arnaud helped the team produce the most OPS per catcher of any team last season. Contreras, who bats right-handed but produces power on the opposite court like a left-handed slacker, is under the club’s thumb for another five years.
One of the fascinating aspects of this deal is that the Braves have set a high bar for their wide receivers defensively and see William Contreras as similar to Willson, just adequate behind the plate. Brewers general manager Matt Arnold, on the other hand, noted that Piña, Yasmani Grandal and Omar Narváez have become better defenders under the tutelage of the Milwaukee staff, indicating that he believes William can do the same.
The rest of the Brewers’ haul is less intriguing. Payamps, one of two pitchers they acquired, would likely be targeted for drafting by the A’s, who need to clear spots on the 40-man roster. Yeager, the other pitching addition, was left unprotected by the Braves and went unselected in the recent Rule 5 draft.
Muller, Tarnok and Salinas, the pitchers who have gone from the Braves to the A’s, are more popular. Muller was at the bottom of the Braves’ depth chart and likely would have been out of options at season’s end, but the A’s believe he has nothing left to prove in Triple A. Tarnok was also part of the Braves’ 40-man, and the A’s they see it as a potential 100 mph relief. Salinas, plus a lottery ticket, hit 175 in 109 innings last season at two levels of A-ball.
An executive from another team who wanted Murphy described the A’s return as “meh,” saying Oakland’s message was “never volume but two of your best.” As is always the case in the baseball trades, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And for the A’s, a lot will depend on Ruiz.
If the A’s wanted William Contreras, they could have made this deal directly with the Braves, not including the Brewers. But the A’s only began entertaining offers for Murphy at the trade deadline because they were dealing from a strong position at catcher.
Langeliers is entering its first full season. Tyler Soderstrom, the A’s No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, was the team’s first-round pick in 2020 and could end up at first base rather than catcher. Daniel Susac, the team’s 2022 first rounder and No. 4 prospect, is further away from the majors, but will likely remain behind the plate.
Ruiz, meanwhile, could be the long-term solution to the A in the middle, another central position. He appeared in just three games for the Brewers during a week-long call-up but made a strong impression. “He’s really mature,” said one Brewers person. “Billy Hamilton fast with an aggressive swing and a pot idea. A 60 to 70 stolen base type. Impressive in a short run. Unperturbed by MLB.
Monday was the catalyst for a three-team, nine-player swap. The A’s think it could be the catalyst for so much more.
(Top photo by Sean Murphy: G Fiume/Getty Images)
