Braves Traded Away Two Catchers Who Have Outperformed Sean Murphy
One of the most questionable moves by Alex Anthopoulos as Braves GM was the three-team trade that sent William Contreras to the Brewers while bringing Sean Murphy to Atlanta.
At the time, Contreras was still early in his career but already an All-Star with a strong .860 OPS over 97 games in 2022. The Braves’ justification centered on Murphy’s defensive skills and game-calling, areas where their pitchers reportedly preferred Murphy over Contreras.
However, Contreras has made significant strides defensively since joining Milwaukee, while maintaining his offensive production at an elite level. Since the trade, Contreras has accumulated 15.0 fWAR, ranking second among catchers only behind Cal Raleigh, who is an AL MVP candidate. Murphy, on the other hand, has produced just 7.8 fWAR during the same period.
This trade clearly hasn’t worked out in Atlanta’s favor, especially considering the Braves also gave up three pitching prospects to Oakland. Murphy has struggled offensively, failing to hit above the Mendoza Line in the past two seasons, and his ongoing health issues have been a concern.
Contreras isn’t the only catcher the Braves have traded away who has outperformed Murphy. When Atlanta shifted from Freddie Freeman to Matt Olson, they sent several prospects to Oakland. While most didn’t pan out, Shea Langeliers has emerged as a solid major-league catcher. Now 27, Langeliers is having a breakout year with a .266 average, 30 home runs, and an .860 OPS—numbers Murphy has never matched.
With promising prospects like Drake Baldwin also coming up, the Braves have developed three catchers over the last five years who appear more productive than Murphy. The upside is that Atlanta clearly knows how to develop catching talent, but the downside is that trading Murphy and signing him to a long-term deal was a mistake.
Hopefully, if the Braves consider trading a catcher again, it will be Murphy leaving rather than his potential replacements.
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