The Atlanta Braves have added to their already stacked roster trade, acquiring talented catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics.
Sean Murphy : Trade | Braves | Contract | Stats
Sean Michael Murphy is an American professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB).
| Born: October 4, 1994 Peekskill, New York |
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Bats: Right
Throws: Right
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| MLB debut | |
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| September 4, 2019, for the Oakland Athletics |
He previously played for the Oakland Athletics. Murphy made his MLB debut in 2019 and won the Gold Glove Award in 2021.
In December of 2022, the Oakland Athletics traded Murphy to the Atlanta Braves in a 3-team trade that involved 9 players.
Murphy attended Centerville High School in Centerville, Ohio, and Wright State University, where he played college baseball for the Wright State Raiders.
In 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star.
Sean Murphy Trade
The Atlanta Braves acquired star catcher Sean Murphy in a three-way trade with the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers that saw nine players switch teams, the organizations announced Monday.
Murphy, 28, was among the most prized players on the trade market this offseason, and Atlanta — which dealt young catcher William Contreras to Milwaukee and still has veteran Travis d’Arnaud — pounced to get him.
In addition to moving Contreras, the Braves are sending left-handed starter Kyle Muller, right-handed starter Freddy Tarnok, veteran catcher Manny Pina and minor league right-hander Royber Salinas to the A’s.
Also going to Milwaukee are right-handed relievers Joel Payamps (from Oakland) and Justin Yeager. The Brewers are sending outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the A’s.
“We definitely gave up a ton,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Monday. “But we got a really good player back. Getting players like that is hard.”
The A’s, who have made a habit of acquiring young pitchers and watching them blossom in their rotation, get two big-league ready arms in Muller and Tarnok, who both pitched for the Braves last season.
“I had a really nice conversation with Sean,” Athletics general manager David Forst said. “He was not surprised he got traded but surprised to be hearing from me today and where the landing spot was.”
Sean Murphy Braves
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 included the Brewers.
To land the highly regarded catcher, the Braves parted ways with All-Star catcher William Contreras and the club’s top-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline), left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller.
“It’s always hard to trade guys away,” Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said.
“It’s just a rare opportunity to get a premium defensive player at a premium position. We gave up a lot of talented guys that we like. But we look at Sean and how he fits with this core and this group, and it’s a really good fit.”
The Braves paid a steep price to get Murphy, but in return they gained one of the game’s top backstops.
The 28-year-old ranked third among all catchers (min. 400 plate appearances) in 2022 with 5.1 fWAR, trailing only the Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto (6.5) and Orioles rookie Adley Rutschman (5.3).
He slugged .426 with 18 home runs and 66 RBIs for Oakland this year. He finished with a 120 OPS+ on his way to receiving a share of down-ballot votes for the AL MVP Award.
Contract
Murphy is deservedly the headliner of this deal. Since debuting in 2019, he’s emerged as one of the most well-rounded catchers in the game.
| Year | Basic Salary | Sign Bonus | Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $725,000 | – | $725,000 |
| 2021 | $575,500 | – | $575,500 |
| 2020 | $208,704 | – | $208,704 |
| 2019 | $86,536 | – | $86,536 |
| 2016 | – | $753,100 | $753,100 |
The deal according to Passan is a three way trade that also involves the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Brewers are acquiring William Contreras while Manny Pina is headed to Oakland.
Stats
Murphy made his professional debut with the Arizona League Athletics, playing one game with them, before being promoted to the Vermont Lake Monsters.
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) |
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| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 46 |
| Runs batted in | 147 |
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He batted .237 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 22 games with Vermont. He started 2017 with the Stockton Ports and was promoted to the Midland RockHounds in June; he batted a combined .250 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 98 games between the two teams.
In 2018, he spent the majority of the year with Midland, slashing .288/.358/.498 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs in 68 games.
He also played in three games for the Nashville Sounds at the end of the year.
He began 2019 with the Las Vegas Aviators where he hit the first home run in Las Vegas Ballpark history.
On September 1, 2019, the Athletics selected Murphy’s contract and promoted him to the major leagues.
On September 4, in his MLB debut, Murphy hit his first career home run for his first hit against Jake Jewell.
In 2020, Murphy played the majority of the season as the A’s catcher, playing in 43 games. He hit .233 with 7 home runs and 14 RBI.
Murphy was awarded his first Gold Glove Award on November 7, 2021.