OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 04: Sean Murphy #12 of the Oakland Athletics at bat against the Los Angeles Angels at RingCentral Coliseum on October 04, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Braves have pulled off a big trade that lands them catcher Sean Murphy while the three-team deal is sending William Contreras to the Brewers.
While the Mets and Phillies might be getting carpal tunnel from all the checks they’re writing this offseason, the Atlanta Braves have been shockingly quiet this offseason overall. They have yet to re-sign Dansby Swanson, they lost Kenley Jansen and the only moves that have been made have been minor. But the Braves finally got frisky on Monday with a big trade.
On Monday, Atlanta pulled off a three-team trade that involved the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics that lands the 2021 World Series champions one of the biggest names on the trade market, catcher Sean Murphy.
It’s a wild trade overall as the Braves are giving up six players in total, including sending 2022 All-Star William Contreras to Milwaukee and giving up two of their top 10 prospects while also sending Manny Piña to Oakland.
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With Atlanta making a seemingly splashy trade, there was a pretty split reaction on Twitter to the news as some fans lamented losing Contreras, some celebrated Murphy, others were confused, and so on.
There’s a reason that Murphy was such a prized commodity on the trade market. He’s been one of the best (and most underrated) catchers in baseball over the past few seasons and is under club control through the 2025 season. That’s a strong get for Atlanta as he pairs with Travis d’Arnaud.
At the same time, though, you have to wonder if the Braves are done here. It seems out of character for them to make a 6-for-1 trade if there’s not another move (or several moves) set to follow. We’ll have to see how things transpire from here.