Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed the team’s plans for catcher Travis d’Arnaud after they acquired Sean Murphy in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.
The Atlanta Braves were in on Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy earlier this month, along with other teams in need of a catcher. Over one week later, the Braves acquired Murphy in a three-team trade including the Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers. Now, the Braves have Murphy seemingly as their new starting catcher, with Travis d’Arnaud still on the roster.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed that he called d’Arnaud before making the trade and informed them that both he and Murphy will be splitting time behind home plate. This comes courtesy of The Athletic’s David O’Brien.
Alex Anthopoulos reveals plans for Travis d’Arnaud after Sean Murphy trade
“There will be plenty of playing time to go around,” Anthopoulos said, h/t Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
As of now, the Braves have just two catchers on the roster in Murphy and d’Arnaud. In the three-team trade, William Contreras was dealt to the Brewers while Manny Pina was moved to the Athletics. However, as O’Brien brings up, there is always the possibility that the team could choose to trade d’Arnaud.
After the 2023 season, d’Arnaud has a club option for the 2024 campaign. He is set to earn $8 million each year. Given that the catcher market is beginning to dry up, especially with Willson Contreras signing a massive five-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals and Christian Vazquez agreeing to a three-year contract with the Minnesota Twins, a team could give the Braves a call on d’Arnaud.
This past season, d’Arnaud recorded a .268 batting average, a .319 on-base percentage, a .472 slugging percentage, 18 home runs, 60 RBI, and 106 hits. He was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career.
For now, the Braves are going to run with Murphy and d’Arnaud as their catchers for the 2023 campaign.