The Giants have claimed catcher Tom Murphy off waivers from the Rockies, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports (via Twitter). Colorado reportedly placed the 27-year-old Murphy, who is out of minor league options, on waivers over the weekend.
The move to acquire Murphy comes just one day after San Francisco acquired another out-of-options catcher, Erik Kratz, in a trade with the Brewers. That now gives the organization three catchers to carry on the 25-man roster to start the season, as Murphy and Kratz will join Buster Posey on the Opening Day roster. As Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area recently wrote, skipper Bruce Bochy did acknowledge that the organization had considered carrying three catchers to begin the year, although at the time, the thinking was that said statement applied to young catcher Aramis Garcia. With Murphy now in the organization, Garcia seems ticketed for Triple-A to open the season.
In placing Murphy on waivers, the Rockies seemingly prioritized catcher defense over Murphy, who arguably has greater offensive potential than in-house options Tony Wolters and Chris Iannetta. (The decision was surely also influenced in part by the $4.8MM still owed to Iannetta.) Murphy showed some of that promise early in his limited MLB experience, hitting .266/.341/.608 through his first 88 MLB plate appearances in 2015-16. Since that time, he’s logged an additional 122 PAs and mustered only a .188/.221/.325 batting line, although that paltry sample of data doesn’t reveal much.
Murphy, a former Top 100 prospect in the eyes of Baseball America, maintained a potent bat in Triple-A last season when he posted a .901 OPS in 264 PAs that is a near-mirror image of his composite .902 OPS from parts of four seasons at the top minor league level. Murphy has been about average at catching base thieves throughout his Major League and minor league tenure, and Baseball Prospectus has valued his pitch-framing and pitch-blocking skills similarly.
this makes the Kratz trade just that much more absurd.
What can you say it’s the Giants!
I thought the Kratz deal was to open up a trade to send Garcia somewhere for an OF. Instead, Zaidi is going to fill a 25 man roster with nothing but catchers.
Rumor has it posey has been shagging fly balls…..
Buster shagging fly balls? The FSU days are over.
Not really as waiver claims can be uncertain.
Sometime you get nothing, sometimes an all-star.
I don’t see how trading a guy who is unlikley to ever play in the majors and certain to never be an important contributor is ever an absurd deal. I’m not sure how important it was to get Kratz (though he could help young pitchers, I suppose), but it’s not like they gave up any real value for him.
Wow
3 catchers
Makes sense. Posey will be playing more and more in the field as he ages. This year, when they aren’t competing, seems like a good a year as any to start.
I wonder if they are that means Belt will play OF or even be traded? He seemed to be tearing it up in Spring Training but that counts for nothing if he doesn’t do it when the season starts so I still think SF wouldn’t get much of a return on him if they traded him now.
I think it just means they want posey, an offensive catcher and a defensive catcher so bochy can have some options
And Garcia needs more at bats than they expect the back ups to get, so AAA makes sense
Giants own the catching waiver wire market.
Lol
Next up – Sandy Leon?
I think Zaidi is trying to get the Monopoly on catchers. If no other team has a catcher, how can they play? Well done Zaidi. That is some Next Level thinking.
Never let anyone get on base and have someone back up home on two strikes?
Is that one of Manfred’s rule changes ?
Hahaha! I knew there was some method to the madness.
“I just want to say, I think carrying three catchers is probably a good idea.” – Jake Taylor
Now we know why Rene Rivera possibly wanted out. He wants to go to a team where he won’t have to share playing time with 20 other backup catchers.
Farhan is on a bender.
Headline two hours from now … “Giants release Erik Kratz”
I second that
Relax everyone, as you all well know the Giants can pick up these players because of their poor finish last year. Stockpiling players for potential trades or keeping them until a move has to be made. Posey at catcher and first, Belt at first or left field…… or gone in a trade. Tom Murphy was not available when Kratz was picked up, multi player trade coming up … Stay tuned!
I agree. I think if Farhan knew Murphy would be available, he would not have picked up Kratz. I believe most Giants fans are unaccustomed to seeing so many roster moves and it makes them uncomfortable haha.
Giants will mimic the “opener” strategy of the Rays. They’ll be an opening catcher, a bulk catcher, and a closing catcher.
About time SOMEBODY explained what is going on with the roster.
Another bum signed by the Giants. Good job Zaidi. Keep em coming. I think since he figures that his team will come in last at least he’ll come in 1st on signing/trading for the most bums in a season.
How can you call anyone a bum if you’re a random, irrelevant person on the internet?
This is his schtick … Zaidi is a bum, when will Sandoval and Melancon get DFAd, why didnt the Giants sign Harper.
The giants won the 2010 world series with a team full of “bums”. Nobody gave them a chance and they won 3 of the next 5 world series with unheralded prospects and contributions from unlikely sources. Giants fans are excited for this season, not sure what you are.
Farhan acting like he’s still on the A’s. Impossible to buy a home A’s jersey with people being flipped. Now, it’s going to be the same way here in S.F. :(
Thank goodness. Better than hamstringing the team for years by re-signing guys to long term deals based on what they already did, rather than what they are going to do.
But the Giants have way more money than the A’s do, so they’ll look more like the Dodgers.
I agree. I actually love the roster turnover. It’s better than continually running out the Blanco and Tomlinsons over and over again hoping for something to change.
Who knows, maybe he thinks the secret to the RS winning the WS last year was having three catchers on the roster.
Speaking of Boston… did he put in a waiver claim on Leon yet? Someone run and remind him not to miss out
Would rather have Leon than Kratz or murphy…
I get it. A lot of teams pretty much have a 37-38 man roster, with the final 2 spots to pick up waiver wire guys and hope you can slip them through. I wouldn’t mind that if it didn’t affect the opening day roster. Ugh, a long season… again.
Incremental depth improvement and the hope that there’s a Max Muncy in there somewhere.
This odd catcher obsession has to be foreshadowing something. Garcia traded for an outfielder ? Buster at first and Belt in left more often ? Otherwise, I’m just scratching my head. I don’t know many Giants fans who weren’t ok with Posey/Garcia behind the plate this year.
Garcia needs more at bats than he’d get as a back up, that’s why they’re goin after these relative scrubs to platoon. Garcia could use some more time in AAA, if he blows up, they can still bring him back up.
I could obviously be wrong, but I don’t see any big moves coming or belt playing the OF more. Just more dumpster diving looking for the right fits
Really!!! How many more over the hill veterans is Zaidi going to bring in? Garcia, Vogt and Bart assigned to minor leagues while Kratz and Murphy are now backups to Posey. How is Kratz and Murphy any better than Hundley?
Zaidi appears to be playing games or offering false hope to veterans … and even displacing their families. Zaidi needs to help the fans understand what direction he is taking the Giants. The players he has brought in certainly don’t fall into the category of making the Giants younger.
Haha welcome to the waiver roulette wheel us Dodger fans had to deal with
On the bright side, maybe you can buy a couple tennis balls for Murphy’s walker? I mean, there’s a slight hope he’ll be able to fight through the dementia common among people entering their late 20s, but it’s still hope. At the ripe old age of 27, his career is definitely winding down.
Wait, you’re okay with Vogt ,but not Kratz or Murphy? Huh?
This is what a rebuild looks like guy, calm down
The Giants will be way better for it in a couple years.
Everything will be fine, just have some patience.
Giants fans should be thanking the gods that we somehow got a guy like Zaidi. And with the other financial building blocks falling into place off the field, SF will be back pissing everyone off by winning again in no time
I hear you and would rather have the names you mentioned but he can alway call them up later or when it’s warranted. The players he’s signed cost nothing and can be cut or released. Low risk high reward if one of them catches fire
I heard that Zaidi checked in on Bengie Molina and seen if he was ready to try to make a comeback
Anyone else sensing a Sandy Leon signing?
At least now
Whenever something goes wrong behind the plate
Giants front office, manager and players
Can chalk it up
To being due to (wait for it)
Murphy’s LAW
Dear Giants can you please pick up an outfielder and one that I have heard of. Sincerely all Giants fans lol
You’ve heard of Dexter Fowler, I bet. Want him? (haha!)
The People that respond to these transactions are the same people that always honk their horns in a scared panic mode and sit in the fast lane clogging up Traffic with their Bogus Earth saving Prius
It’s very odd to see a player named Tom (my name). So many Tylers, so few Toms in the majors… a reflection of society, I guess, though Thomas is hardly a dated name.
I like it.
Your all missing the point as he’s trying to solitify the backup positions espically in the minors cause we all know that player don’t ever get hurt. It friggin killed us last year when we had no one to play the outfield that could hit. At least all these recent acqisitions have at least shown a small sample size that they can hit; at least at the upper AAA leage if not in the majors. These are all great security blankets! However I’m still hoping the grab a no name 270/20/75 guy that’s a 5 th outfield for some loaded team!!
Looks like Altherr might be the odd man out in Philly. Seems like he’d fit nicely in SF.
Garcia is getting traded. Giants have Bart for 2020, so these guys are stop gaps until then. Buster will be behind the plate but giants want to nurse that hip after having surgery. If Garcia was going to play no way do the giants draft Bart.