of Atlanta Braves Get catcher Sean Murphy oakland athletics All-Star William Contreras also announced Monday as part of a three-way trade Milwaukee BrewersA total of nine players exchanged hands, with five heading to Auckland.
Here’s the complete deal. As reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
- Braves acquire: C Sean Murphy
- Brewers Acquire 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 baseball’s all-around backstops thanks to his above-average stick and excellent grabs. Since 2020, he’s amassed a .235/.326/.422 slash line (113 OPS+), averaging 14 home runs and providing top-notch defense. So, according to Statcast data, Murphy ranked him in the 86th percentile in the framing run last season. Given how he set a career-high maximum exit speed last season, ranking him in the 94th percentile, I doubt there’s an additional offensive advantage to unlock here either. It’s worth thinking about.
Whether or not Murphy improves further, he won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2025 season, making him more than a rental or short-term fit. season, it is projected to make about $3.5 million. According to estimates published in MLB Trade Rumors.
Of course, it’s no surprise that Murphy is available. The Athletics is in the process of a complete demolition since an owner-imposed lockout was lifted in his March. During that time, they traded Matt Olson (also with the Braves), Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. Murphy’s exit seemed even more certain after the A’s acquired Shea Langeliers as part of the aforementioned Olson trade. He should be able to slip into the starting lineup.
Free agent Christian Vazquez still playable now that Murphy is out of the catching market Wilson Contreras (yes, William’s brother) went to the Cardinals on a 5 year contract.
Barring another trade, incumbent regular Travis Darneau will likely shift to a backup role behind Murphy and could also see time at DH. Of course, a subsequent deal involving Darneau could be a strong avenue for Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Contreras, who will soon be 25, is nearing the end of the 2022 season, batting .278/.354/.506 in 97 games with 20 home runs. With no free agency plans until after the 2027 season, Contreras has 120 career OPS+ in some of his three MLB seasons. He thinks he will provide Milwaukee with a much-needed midrange bat. Payamps and Jaeger, on the other hand, provide deeper relief for the Brewers.
From A’s point of view, the top pieces are Ruiz and Muller. The former is a speedster who played well as a minor but doesn’t hit the ball hard. Muller has big stuff but he struggles to capitalize on it and in his career he has walked just over his 5 of 9 minutes. The 35-year-old Piña’s career OPS+ is at his 90, averaging 16 home runs in 62 games over his nine-year career in the majors. Tarnok is likely to be a hard-throwing relief pitcher, but the A’s could give him a starting chance. Salinas is a young right-hander who could be in the bullpen.
