Sean Murphy

2022 - 12 - 12

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Image courtesy of "Phillies Nation"

Braves land star catcher Sean Murphy in 3-team trade (Phillies Nation)

William Contreras — the younger brother of Willson — has been traded by the Braves to the Brewers as part of the deal. Contreras, 24, was an All-Star in 2022, ...

6 prospect for Atlanta](https://www.mlb.com/prospects/braves), has been traded to the A’s, [according to Robert Murray of FanSided](https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1602403970407751681). [Joel Sherman of The New York Post says](https://twitter.com/Joelsherman1/status/1602405214006480913)that RHP Joel Payamps is going from Oakland to Milwaukee, and RHP Justin Yeager is going from Atlanta to Milwaukee. Additionally, [Murray hears that](https://twitter.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1602404748975489024)23-year-old outfielder Esteury Ruiz is headed from Milwaukee to Oakland. William Contreras — the younger brother of Willson — has been traded by the Braves to the Brewers as part of the deal. [per Passan](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1602401323709829130). [ESPN‘s Kiley McDaniel reports](https://twitter.com/kileymcd/status/1602405221245898755). [ESPN‘s Jeff Passan](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1602401323709829130) and [Jomboy Media‘s Talkin’ Jake](https://twitter.com/TalkinJake/status/1602397138285170704) were the first to report on the trade. He’s also under team control through the 2025 season. But the division-rival Atlanta Braves now have perhaps the next best thing after completing a major trade Monday. [employ the best catcher in baseball in J.T. He’s a natural catcher, but also someone, like his older brother, that can DH as well. Realmuto](https://www.philliesnation.com/2022/11/j-t-realmuto-is-on-path-to-be-greatest-catcher-in-phillies-history/).

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Image courtesy of "MLB.com"

Backstop swap: Contreras to Crew, Murphy to ATL in 3-way deal (MLB.com)

ATLANTA -- Sean Murphy is the Braves' new catcher of the future. Murphy was acquired from the A's on Monday afternoon as part of a three-team deal that also ...

18](https://www.mlb.com/prospects/braves/royber-salinas-683690). 6](https://www.mlb.com/prospects/braves/freddy-tarnok-676206) and [Royber Salinas sat at No. With Manny Piña returning from season-ending wrist surgery and Contreras coming off an unexpected All-Star season, the Braves had a surplus of catchers that also includes All-Star Travis d’Arnaud. Salinas had a 33.1 percent strikeout rate and a 13.7 percent walk rate while producing a 4.11 ERA over 20 starts at High-A Rome this year. Muller showed signs of promise while posting a 3.79 ERA in his last six starts for Triple-A Gwinnett last year. Yeager struck out 32.1 percent of the batters faced at the Double-A level, but also had a 14.7 percent walk rate this year. “We viewed d’Arnaud, Contreras and Manny Piña, with the DH spot, as a position of strength. He finished with a 120 OPS+ on his way to receiving a share of down-ballot votes for the AL MVP Award. Adding to the significance of the acquisition, Murphy is under team control for each of the next three seasons before being eligible for free agency after 2025. Contreras became a fan favorite as he posted a 138 OPS+ in ‘22. The Braves paid a steep price to get Murphy, but in return they gained one of the game’s top backstops. “It’s just a rare opportunity to get a premium defensive player at a premium position.

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Image courtesy of "NBC Sports Bay Area"

MLB rumors: Athletics' Sean Murphy traded to Braves as part of ... (NBC Sports Bay Area)

Just like former Athletics teammate Matt Olson, catcher Sean Murphy is packing his bags for Atlanta.

He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and won a Gold Glove in 2021 for his work behind the dish. Trading Murphy was the biggest box Oakland was expected to check this offseason. He is a candidate to open spring training as part of the A's starting rotation along with Muller, a 25-year-old lefty who owns a 4.05 FIP in 12 career MLB appearances. 19 overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft. Ironically, Langeliers is the heir to Murphy’s throne as the A’s next catcher. Ruiz began his minor-league career as an infielder but has shifted to the outfield in recent years. Murphy also was named a Gold Glove finalist in 2022. The organization's depth at the position goes even deeper. Now, the A's will head to spring training in February with a haul of new prospects with a chance to make an impact next summer. Piña, a member of the Brewers for six seasons from 2016-21, appeared in five games with the Braves last season and collected two hits in 14 at-bats. [MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/prospects/brewers) and fifth-best by [Baseball America](https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/1029/milwaukee-brewers/). The A's traded coveted catcher Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves as part of a three-team deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team announced Monday.

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Image courtesy of "CBS sports.com"

Sean Murphy trade: Braves land catcher from A's in three-team deal ... (CBS sports.com)

A's get: OF Esteury Ruiz, LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Freddy Tarnok, C Manny Piña, RHP Royber Salinas. Murphy, 28, is one of the top overall backstops in baseball ...

[Matt Olson](/mlb/players/2044509/matt-olson/) (also to the Braves), [Matt Chapman](/mlb/players/2135256/matt-chapman/), [Chris Bassitt](/mlb/players/2114418/chris-bassitt/), [Frankie Montas](/mlb/players/2117122/frankie-montas/), and [Sean Manaea](/mlb/players/2066704/sean-manaea/) during that time. Salinas is a young righty who seems likely to end up in the bullpen as well. Contreras, who's not slated for free agency until after the 2027 season, has a career OPS+ of 120 across parts of three Of course, a subsequent deal involving d'Arnaud may be the likely path for Atlanta. The Athletics have been in the process of a full teardown since the owner-imposed lockout was lifted in March. To wit, Murphy ranked in the 86th percentile in framing runs last season, according to Statcast's data.

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Image courtesy of "MLB Trade Rumors"

Braves Acquire Sean Murphy, Brewers Acquire William Contreras In ... (MLB Trade Rumors)

Braves get catcher · Brewers get · A's get · This move finally brings an end to a trade saga that has been going on for about a year now. · Murphy was widely seen ...

The Phillies have signed [Trea Turner](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/turnetr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral), [Taijuan Walker](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/walketa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral) and [Matt Strahm](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/strahma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral). [Justin Verlander](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/verlaju01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral), [Kodai Senga](https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=senga-000kod&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral), [José Quintana](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/q/quintjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral) and [David Robertson](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/roberda08.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral), in addition to re-signing [Brandon Nimmo](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nimmobr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral) and [Edwin Díaz](https://www.baseball-reference.com/search/search.fcgi?pid=diazed04,diaz--005edw&search=Edwin+Díaz&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral). Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported [Murphy](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1602396186899513350) going to the Braves, as well as the involvement of [Piña](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1602401323709829130) and the eventual [final deal](https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1602413432539648007). [links](https://twitter.com/TalkinJake/status/1602397138285170704)). [Josh Hader](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haderjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral) trade last year. [Willson Contreras](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/contrwi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral), who recently signed with the Cardinals, in the NL Central. The club has also added a couple of depth arms in Payamps and Yeager. Secondly, the A’s received a highly-touted catching prospect from Atlanta in the Olson deal in [Shea Langeliers](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/langesh01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=&utm_medium=referral). On the surface, it seems that the club was keen to swap out Contreras for Murphy as a way of improving behind the plate. This is now the third huge deal Anthopoulos has negotiated with the A’s, though David Forst has since [taken over](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/11/athletics-billy-beane-advisor-david-forst-gm-baseball-operations.html) baseball operations from Billy Beane. Since the start of 2020, he’s posted 13 Defensive Runs Saved behind the plate, a number that places him in the top 10 in the league. [MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz](https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/10/mlb-projected-arbitration-salaries-2023.html) projected that Murphy will jump to $3.5MM in 2023 with two further bumps before reaching free agency after 2025.

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Image courtesy of "Yahoo Sports"

Athletics' Sean Murphy traded to Braves as part of three-team ... (Yahoo Sports)

Just like former Athletics teammate Matt Olson, catcher Sean Murphy is packing his bags for Atlanta.

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Image courtesy of "Athletics Nation"

Sean Murphy traded to Atlanta Braves (Athletics Nation)

After months of speculation that he would be traded, the Athletics finally pulled the trigger, sending star catcher Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves.

While he has experience at second base, he’s pretty much moved to the outfield full-time now, and he’s still learning the ins and outs of being on the grass. He’s much more of a lottery pick than the other players coming back, but if he tamps down on the walks, he has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation arm. He’s got a bit of pop in that right-handed bat of his, but the name of his game is speed as he swiped 85(!) bags last year in the minors. It pairs nicely with a slider that has the makings of an eventual plus wipeout pitch, a big reason for his huge strikeout rates. He struggled early on in his career before 2020, and it seems the pandemic helped get him back on track as he came back the next year and showed massive improvement. It starts with a fastball that averaged 93.5 mph in Triple-A and the big leagues in 2021, consistently reaching 95-97. It’s a pitch that plays well up in the zone with high spin rates and good carry. He has had some control issues throughout his time in the minors but seemed to have corralled those a bit last season. He’s going to have a solid chance to make the Opening Day roster, and generally projects as a mid-rotation arm if he reaches his potential. The front office seemed to value multiple players instead of one can’t-miss, but you would have expected at least one major prospect of note in exchange for a top-3 catcher in the league. The only two remaining major players from their 2020 playoff roster are Ramon Laureano and Tony Kemp, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Laureano traded either later this offseason or at the deadline; it feels like only a matter of time. He’s proven all he needs to in the minors and will be given every opportunity to work through rookie struggles without fear of being demoted (if he has any struggles, fingers crossed he doesn’t).

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Image courtesy of "ESPN"

Braves acquire star catcher Sean Murphy from Athletics (ESPN)

Atlanta acquired catcher Sean Murphy in a three-way trade with Oakland and Milwaukee on Monday that saw nine players switch teams.

The Brewers are sending outfielder [Esteury Ruiz](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39680/esteury-ruiz) to the A's. Also going to Milwaukee are right-handed relievers [Joel Payamps](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40021/joel-payamps) (from Oakland) and Justin Yeager. We like the fact that he fits into our lineup immediately and hopefully he's a Brewer -- and a productive one -- for a very long time." Atlanta's pitching depth helped land Murphy, who hit .250/.332/.426 with 18 home runs and played Gold Glove-caliber defense last season. "I had a really nice conversation with Sean," Athletics general manager David Forst said. "We definitely gave up a ton," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Monday.

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