The Atlanta Braves made a huge splash in the offseason, acquiring veteran catcher Sean Murphy in a blockbuster trade with the Oakland Athletics. ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report the news of the trade.
Passan indicates that Murphy will be joining the Braves, while William Contreras is on the move to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a three-team trade. Additionally, Manny Piña is headed to the A's as part of the trade.
BREAKING: Catcher Sean Murphy has been traded to the Atlanta Braves, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 12, 2022
Murphy, 28, is coming off his most productive season in the majors, during which he slashed .250/.332/.426 with 18 home runs, 66 RBI, and 67 runs scored. Murphy was one of the lone bright spots on a rebuilding A's team in 2022, recording a team-high 3.5 WAR.
He was a Gold Glove winner in 2021, so the Braves are getting a massive upgrade defensively behind home plate. It's a bit of a surprising move from Atlanta, considering the team was rather deep at the position last season with Travis d'Arnaud and Contreras on the roster. Now, Contreras is headed to Milwaukee and the young Piña will be joining the rebuild in Oakland. d'Arnaud figures to remain part of the Braves' plans in 2023 as they aim to get back to the World Series.
Joining Piña in Oakland will be OF prospect Esteury Ruiz (from Milwaukee) and pitchers Royber Salinas, Freddy Tarnok and Kyle Muller (from Atlanta). Tarnok was Atlanta's No. 6 overall prospect, while Muller was the organization's crowning jewel, coming in at first on their top 30 prospects list, per MLB Pipeline.
The Brewers will be adding Contreras as well as RHP Justin Yeager (via Atlanta) and 28-year-old reliever Joel Payamps (via Oakland).
Last year, Contreras was among a litany of breakout studs for the Braves. The 24-year-old catcher slashed .278/.354/.506 with 20 home runs, 45 RBI, and 51 runs while featuring in 97 games.
The Braves were expected to be aggressive this offseason and GM Alex Anthopolous didn't disappoint in that regard, striking early for one of the first big trades of the offseason. Sean Murphy also comes with plenty of team control, not expected to hit unrestricted free agency until 2026. He earned $725,000 in base salary last season with the Athletics.
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