William Contreras

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers upgraded their catching situation on Monday and, maybe, made some of their fans feel a little bit better about the Josh Hader trade ...

20, is a hard thrower with a 3.21 ERA, 16 saves and a .188 opponents’ average in 94 games (all in relief) during his Minor League career. “When he became available, we thought he was a really good arm that could fit into our mix in the Major Leagues immediately.” Between the High-A and Double-A levels last year, Yeager struck out 81 batters in 52 1/3 innings and held opponents to a .158 average. “One of the things that excites us about this profile is that one, he has the athleticism, and two, we have worked with a number of these catchers in the past and had some really strong success. The Brewers also added arms in the deal. For Atlanta and Oakland, it worked out. All but Caratini are in their pre-arbitration years and have Minor League options. Like his older brother, he is regarded more for his bat than his defense, but the Brewers have history of developing catchers behind the plate. See their experience with Omar Narváez, who came to Milwaukee three winters ago with an offensive reputation and hit the open market this winter with a defensive rep. For the Braves and Brewers, the deal represented an improvement behind the plate. “It’s primarily been bat-first, but we also think he has really good ingredients back there,” Arnold said. That’s one of the things that really drew us to him; his bat has a chance to be really special.”

ATLANTA — (AP) — The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics as part of a three-team deal Monday that also sent All-Star ...

“We’re constantly in a state of turnover and the whole goal of this franchise and this ballpark search is to not be in that state,” Forst said. "I think I’m not out of line saying that ’22 was really the first year that we haven’t been successful in doing that.” Oakland finished 60-102 in manager Mark Kotsay’s first year and missed the playoffs for a second straight year following three consecutive berths and an AL West title during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. “Obviously, that’s the elephant in the room. Forst said some of those prospects are expected to be on the opening day roster. The A’s have long traded away their key players, so the trade of Murphy is no surprise given the low-budget franchise’s tradition of seeing stars shine elsewhere. Murphy and d'Arnaud likely will split catching and designated hitter duties, with the idea of keeping them both as fresh as possible. 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.” Contreras had a breakout year offensively for the Braves, but his defensive skills were lacking. Yeager spent the 2022 season in the Braves’ farm system. “His bat is something that has the chance to be really special,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. 24, made the NL All-Star team as a designated hitter in 2022.

The Brewers landed what they hope is their catcher of the future when they acquired William Contreras in a three-team deal that included the A's and Braves.

He started last season with the Royals, going 2-3 with a 3.16 ERA in 29 appearances before landing on waivers then pitched in 12 games for Oakland, where he went 1-3 with a 3.46 mark to close out the year. Ruiz, 23, was one of the four players the Brewers received from San Diego in July for closer Josh Hader. “Once he became a possibility, it was something we really tried to narrow down and ultimately, we were able to come together. The fact that he hit 20 home runs as a young guy and was an All-Star last year at a very young age with a long tail of control is something that we feel really good about. Had he been with the Brewers last season, he’d have led the team in batting average, slugging and OPS while ranking second in on-base percentage. “Losing somebody like Esteury Ruiz is tough,” Arnold said. Being able to add two arms to our organization is something we feel good about.” “He’s somebody who’s not a rental but we think has a chance to be here and be a Brewer for a long time. “That’s a big part of this,” Arnold said. His bat is something that has the chance to be really special. While his offense is impressive, Contreras’ defensive skills are still a work-in-progress. That’s one of the things that drew him to us.

The three-team trade between the Braves, Brewers and A's not only sets up Sean Murphy and William Contreras as top-10 fantasy baseball catchers, ...

Murphy's departure paves the way for the Athletics to shift Langeliers back behind the plate regularly, which is good news for us in fantasy as he'll begin 2023 qualified only at designated hitter (24 games there, 17 at catcher). He'll be another competitor for a rotation spot, and could be a streaming option, similarly to J.P. In fact, the move locks in what looks like a near-set top 10 at the position, with Murphy and the Contreras brothers (Willson being my No. Tarnok got into one game for the Braves last season after posting a 4.05 ERA in 23 starts and two relief appearances between Double- and Triple-A. But [William Contreras](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39895/william-contreras), the No. Getting out of the Oakland Coliseum, one of the most pitching-friendly venues in baseball, and moving to Atlanta's Truist Park, which was neutral to slightly hitting-friendly for right-handed hitters in the past three seasons (per Statcast), is a boon to Murphy's fantasy prospects. [Travis d'Arnaud](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/29951/travis-d'arnaud), remains in Atlanta, where he'll now presumably serve as Murphy's backup. d'Arnaud will probably steal more playing time from Murphy than any of [Austin Allen](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39870/austin-allen), [Christian Bethancourt](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/31758/christian-bethancourt), [Shea Langeliers](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42598/shea-langeliers) or [Stephen Vogt](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/31032/stephen-vogt) did in Oakland, but there's a good chance Murphy will have games and plate appearance totals closer to his 2022 (148 and 612) than 2021 (119 and 448) numbers, accounting for his skills and stronger health history. Contreras is nowhere near the defensive player that either Murphy or d'Arnaud is, but he's a homer-oriented offensive player who has a much better chance at repeating 2022's power output (20 homers, .228 isolated power) in Milwaukee than Atlanta. I had Murphy eighth and Contreras 11th in points leagues before the move, and eighth and 10th after it, but both are now very clearly draft-worthy players in ESPN standard leagues, top-250 types (and Murphy is top-200 at that). The upshot for both of these backstops is that they both move up in the fantasy rankings, though more from the overall than the positional ranks themselves. To that point, Statcast had it with a home run factor of 106 -- that's 6% better than the average venue -- in the past three seasons, whereas Truist's factor was 95.

Three teams have a new starting catcher. Each sees his Fantasy stock improved.

The Braves achieved a nice split in playing time for d'Arnaud and Contreras last year, which led to both of them making the All-Star team. The 6-foot-6 left-hander has a big fastball with a lot of spin and a slider/curveball combo that's geared for whiffs as well. He'll be DH-only to begin the year (that's where he spent most of his time late last season because, well, the Athletics had Murphy), but he has a strong defensive reputation in his own right. [Sean Murphy](/fantasy/baseball/players/2483273/sean-murphy/), from Oakland to Atlanta, and [William Contreras](/fantasy/baseball/players/2822087/william-contreras/), from Atlanta to Milwaukee. Ultimately, I think he'll come closer than not, but the uncertainty is enough for me to drop him to 12th in my catcher rankings, behind He has good power for the position but will need to make regular contact to get the most out of it -- something that wasn't a huge issue in the minors. That role will go to 25-year-old [Shea Langeliers](/fantasy/baseball/players/3117480/shea-langeliers/), who coincidentally the Athletics acquired from the Braves in the [Matt Olson](/fantasy/baseball/players/2044509/matt-olson/) deal last year. The Athletics, meanwhile, have holes everywhere, and it seems likely that a guy with both infield and outfield experience would be able to fill one. So the younger Contreras gets the benefit of more playing time, a better park and most likely the natural growth that comes with his level of experience. [Cardinals](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/STL/st-louis-cardinals/)' [Willson Contreras](/fantasy/baseball/players/2171084/willson-contreras/) was even better than Murphy last year, but he nonetheless got only 334 at-bats, fewer than teammate [Travis d'Arnaud](/fantasy/baseball/players/1730742/travis-darnaud/), because the Braves weren't sold on his defense. Murphy hit .226 with a .702 OPS there compared to .272 with an .812 OPS on the road. Career backup [Manny Pina](/fantasy/baseball/players/1662811/manny-pina/), 35, goes from Atlanta to Oakland, but obviously not to take over as the No.

All-Star catcher William Contreras took to Twitter after the Atlanta Braves traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers, as part of a three-team trade centered ...

His time with the Braves is over, for now at least. It's the first time in Contreras' career that he has been traded. The Braves added an exceptional defensive catcher. The Atlanta Braves made a blockbuster trade Monday afternoon, acquiring catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics for catchers William Contreras and Manny Pina, along with prospects. Contreras took to Twitter two hours after the trade was reported on. Contreras though, appears to be less than thrilled that he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in the three-team deal.

The Brewers landed the front-line catcher they've sought but gave up one of their top outfield prospects as part of the deal.

"Payamps is a guy we’ve had our eye on for a couple of years and when he was over in Oakland," said Arnold. "Obviously, we’ve seen a lot of his brother over the years," Arnold said. He went 1-0 with a 3.10 ERA and WHIP of 1.17 in 41 appearances between advanced Class A and Class AA this past season while striking out 81 in 52⅓ innings. Being able to add two arms to our organization is something we feel good about." "He’s somebody who’s not a rental, (that) we think has a chance to be here and be a Brewer for a long time. "Certainly, losing Omar Narváez is a big loss for us and we feel good about having Victor Caratini in our mix," Arnold said. "With what he’s been able to accomplish offensively, he brings a solid middle-of-the-order bat particularly against left-handed pitching, as we’ve seen," Arnold said. Contreras is the younger brother of St. The team also has Payton Henry and Mario Feliciano on the 40-man roster and another catcher with limited major-league experience in the system in Alex Jackson. He hit .354 with a 1.036 OPS against left-handed pitching this past season, an area of huge need for Milwaukee. "We’re excited about what we were able to accomplish today for the team," general manager Matt Arnold said. 24, hit .278 with 20 home runs and 45 runs batted in with an OPS of .860 in 97 games in 2022.

The Brewers concocted their biggest trade yet of the off-season by acquiring all-star catcher William Contreras and a pitchers Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager in ...

He pairs his fastball with a slider in the 86-89 mph range and has also occasionally flashed solid feel for a splitter that falls off the table. Payamps’ four-seam isn’t a huge chase rate pitch, ranking in the middle of the pack in swing percentage when thrown out of the strike zone, which can make it tough to live more off the plate. Manny Piña became one of the best framers in baseball during his time in Milwaukee. Or, if the Brewers encourage him to lean into his ground ball profile, Payamps’ sinker/changeup combination could become more prevalent. Since 2021, Payamps has posted a 3.31 earned run average across 106 innings with the Blue Jays, Royals and A’s. Payamps doesn’t strike out all that many batters with a career K rate of 17.6% but generally avoids walks (6.6% walk rate). Omar Narváez went from one of the worst receivers in the league to arguably the best in one year. Baseball Prospectus’ metrics are a bit more favorable, tabbing Contreras’ defense to be worth -0.8 framing runs, but that was still 89th out of 120 catchers on their leaderboard. His .583 slugging percentage nearly tops the OPS of last year’s Brewers backstops. At first glance, it's hard to be anything but bullish in the return for the Brewers. He has some swing-and-miss in his profile but, rather impressively, has walked in 10.2% of his big-league plate appearances and generally displays solid ball-strike recognition. He threw out just 16% of attempted base stealers in 2022 and, even more importantly, metrics have not been friendly toward his pitch framing.

The deal sending Sean Murphy to Atlanta is part of a three-way trade with the Oakland A's and Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN. One of the players heading ...

The Braves don’t get Murphy without moving a player of Contreras’s caliber. Aside from Milwaukee absolutely walking away from this trade with a heist, the Braves paid a reasonable cost for the incoming Murphy, even if the quantity at first looks shocking. I just wonder if the prospects could’ve been better used. Contreras still has five more years of control left (compared to Murphy’s three), and he hit at an All-Star level for any position player, not just catcher, for 376 PAs. Additionally, it strengthens an area where the Braves were already at the top, without improving either LF or SS. Additionally, Contreras, despite making major improvements behind the plate, was still a below-average fielder behind the plate. On the surface, trading Contreras seems a little odd. In it, I found that Harris was the third-highest overachiever on the team by different metrics. While Murphy doesn’t hit the ball as hard as Contreras, their xwOBAs were only .003 off (Contreras’s .347 xwOBA vs. Murphy is such an upgrade that it won’t be surprising if he out-WARs Contreras in their remaining years of control. He was the highest over-performer by xBA (.278 BA vs. This is not a player you’d sell off believing they were overperforming.

The Brewers' trade for William Contreras on Monday was the type of move Arnold had in mind as he sat atop the dais at his introductory press conference and ...

The Brewers were able to use a piece of prior knowledge to their advantage: that the A’s front office valued Ruiz highly and had discussed acquiring him previously in trade talks with the Brewers and Padres, Ruiz’s former club. They barged into a two-team deal that needed a third to make it happen, swiped a suddenly expendable yet immensely coveted asset and a pair of pitchers while barely making a dent in their farm system. A third team was going to be needed to complete the deal. He would be one of the more valuable center fielders in the league. That proved to be a holdup as Braves and A’s struggled to find common ground on another player to add to the deal. The A’s are gambling on the risky upside of Ruiz. After all, from the outside, there was no pressing need to trade Murphy in this specific deal. It has the potential to be a heist. If Contreras can turn the corner with his defense behind the plate, the Brewers may have a star on their hands. Instead, the Brewers only were forced to part with Ruiz, a speed-first prospect coming off one breakout minor-league season who not only still has plenty of questions about his bat but was also behind multiple other young outfielders on the organization’s depth chart. Catcher was the most glaring position of need for Milwaukee, which demanded far more offense from that spot than it did last season. Because any way you spin it, the Brewers sure seem to be making out like bandits in this trade.