Funviralpark On the one hand, the upgrade at the catcher position probably came as a surprise to many when the Braves made a big trade this offseason to upgrade their position.
But it should come as no surprise that Alex Anthopoulos once again acted quickly to allow a talented player like Sean Murphy to stay in Atlanta for quite some time.
Just weeks after acquiring Murphy from the Athletics, the Braves have the potential to keep him in Atlanta through 2029. The best two-way catcher in baseball makes this a logical investment for Atlanta. increase.
Of course, it was the second time in the past nine months that the Braves had acquired an Oakland player in a trade, and they immediately extended him to become part of the Braves’ current and future core. When the Braves traded him in March 2022 for Matt Olson, he signed his eight-year extension within hours of the trade being announced. With Murphy’s deal, the Braves signed the catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, center fielder, and right fielder to long-term contracts. His four of these six players are his 2021 or 2022 All-Stars, and Michael Harris II is his NL Rookie of the Year and Murphy’s incumbent. produced his fWAR, his third highest among catchers in baseball last year.
The $73 million investment guaranteed to Murphy over the next six years is currently the fifth highest investment for a baseball catcher. Sean Murphy has his third-highest fWAR among catchers in his league since his debut in 2019. He is also 3 of his 4 catchers currently on higher overall contracts in the top 5 (JT Realmuto , Willson Contreras, Yasmani Grandal). One of them is Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who could one day be the highest-paid catcher in the game.
In other words, the Braves are paying the highest compared to what other catchers are making in baseball, but this looks like it will be a worthwhile deal over time for the Braves. With the changes being made, Murphy’s value as both a fielder and hitter could make this trade very valuable for years to come.
