by The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics on Monday as part of a three-way trade that also sent All-Star William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers. In total, nine players traded hands, five of them headed to Oakland.
Here’s the full swap, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
- The brave get: C Sean Murphy
- Brewers get: C William Contreras, RHP Joel Payamps, LHP Justin Yeager
- A’s get: OF Esteury Ruiz, LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Freddy Tarnok, C Manny Piña, RHP Royber Salinas
Murphy, 28, is one of the best overall backstops in baseball thanks to an above-average stick and good glove. As of 2020, he has amassed a .235/.326/.422 slash line (113 OPS+) while averaging 14 home runs and providing top-notch defense. Namely, Murphy ranked in the 86th percentile in framing runs last season, according to data from Statcast. It’s worth wondering if there’s any additional offensive advantage to unlock here as well, as he set a new career-high in top ball rate last season, ranking in the 94th percentile.
Whether or not Murphy improves any further, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2025 season, making him more of a rental or short-term fix. He is expected to earn about $3.5 million next season in what is his first year of arbitration eligibility, according to estimates hosted by MLB Trade Rumors.
Of course, Murphy’s availability comes as no surprise. The Athletics has been in the process of a complete dismantling since the owner-imposed lockdown was lifted in March. During that time they traded Matt Olson (also with the Braves), Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. Murphy’s departure looked even more certain after the Athletics acquired Shea Langeliers as part of the aforementioned Olson trade. He should be able to get into the starting lineup.
With Murphy now out of the market, free agent Christian Vázquez remains available after that Willson Contreras (yes, William’s brother) went to the Cardinals on a five-year contract.
Barring another trade, reigning regular Travis d’Arnaud will likely move into a backup role behind Murphy, while also possibly seeing time at DH. Of course, a subsequent deal involving d’Arnaud could be the likely path to Atlanta.
On the other end, Contreras, who will soon turn 25, is coming off a 2022 season in which he slashed .278/.354/.506 with 20 home runs in 97 games. Contreras, who isn’t slated for free agency until after the 2027 season, has a career OPS+ of 120 in parts of three MLB seasons. He envisions providing Milwaukee with a much-needed mid-level bat. Payamps, meanwhile, and Yeager, meanwhile, will provide the Brewers with more depth of relief.
From the point of view of the A, the best pieces are Ruiz and Muller. The former is a sprinter who performed well in the minors but doesn’t hit the ball hard. Muller, for his part, has great things but has struggled to capitalize on them, walking more five-for-nines for his career. (To his credit, he cut that rate to 2.7 for nine last season.) Piña, 35, has a career OPS+ of 90, and during his nine-year career in the majors he averaged 16 home runs for 62 games played. Tarnok is likely a hard shot reliever, though the A’s might give him a chance to start. Salinas is a right-footed youngster who looks set to end up in the bullpen as well.
