The Braves, Brewers and A’s have agreed to a three-team blockbuster that will see each team get a new catcher with nine players involved in total. The full trade is as follows:
Braves get catcher Sean Murphy, giving up Kyle Muller, Royber Salinas, Justin Yeager, Freddy Tarnok, Manny Piña and William Contreras.
Brewers get William Contreras, Joel Payamps, Justin Yeager, giving up Esteury Ruiz.
A’s get Kyle Muller, Esteury Ruiz, Freddy Tarnok, Royber Salinas and Manny Piña, giving up Sean Murphy and Joel Payamps.
The deal is official, with the clubs all making announcements.
This move finally brings an end to a trade saga that has been going on for about a year now. After the 2021 season, the A’s leaned hard into a rebuild that saw them trade away Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt before Opening Day, with Frankie Montas getting flipped at the 2022 deadline.
Murphy was widely seen as the next to go for a number of reasons. Firstly, he just crossed three years of MLB service time in 2022 and will now be making higher salaries via arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected that Murphy will jump to $3.5MM in 2023 with two further bumps before reaching free agency after 2025. Secondly, the A’s received a highly-touted catching prospect from Atlanta in the Olson deal in Shea Langeliers. He had an excellent season in Triple-A and carried himself well in a 40-game debut in the majors. Given all those factors, it seemed more and more likely that the A’s would hand the job over to Langeliers and trade Murphy for improvements elsewhere on the roster.
By taking this path, the A’s are parting with one of the best catchers in the game. The 28-year-old Murphy has 330 games in the big leagues under his belt thus far and has performed well in just about every facet of the game. He’s hit 46 home runs and has a combined batting line of .236/.326/.429. That production leads to a wRC+ of 116, indicating he’s been 16% above the league average hitter and even further ahead of the average catcher, since they generally come in a bit lower than others. He also took a step forward at the plate in 2022, striking out in just 20.3% of his plate appearances after being above 25% in his career prior to that.
Defensively, Murphy gets rave reviews as well. Since the start of 2020, he’s posted 13 Defensive Runs Saved behind the plate, a number that places him in the top 10 in the league. FanGraphs’ framing metric gives him a 19.5 in that timeframe, the third-highest such tally. Those all-around contributions have allowed him to produce 10 wins above replacement in those three seasons, according to FanGraphs, second among all MLB catchers with only J.T. Realmuto ahead of him.
Taking all that into consideration, it’s hardly surprising that Murphy garnered plenty of interest around the league. The Diamondbacks, Astros, Cubs, Guardians, Twins, White Sox, Red Sox, Rays, and Cardinals were some of the teams connected to him at various points in recent months. It was reported about a week ago that the Braves were getting close to acquiring him but president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos shot down those reports, saying that he didn’t anticipate a trade. That was either a bluff or something drastically changed in the past week since Atlanta have now indeed closed the deal. This is now the third huge deal Anthopoulos has negotiated with the A’s, though David Forst has since taken over baseball operations from Billy Beane. He acquired Josh Donaldson when he was working for the Blue Jays and has now nabbed Olson and Murphy for the Braves.
Atlanta always seemed a curious fit for Murphy given that they already had three viable catchers on the roster in Contreras, Piña and Travis d’Arnaud. They have cleared out that logjam and acquired Murphy in one fell swoop by including two of those catchers in the deal. On the surface, it seems that the club was keen to swap out Contreras for Murphy as a way of improving behind the plate. However, since the A’s seem set to give Langeliers a shot, it’s possible they were less interested in Contreras, which necessitated Milwaukee’s involvement.
That’s not to say that Contreras isn’t an exciting young catcher in his own right. It’s just that, as mentioned, Murphy is one of the best in the game. Contreras will now join his older brother Willson Contreras, who recently signed with the Cardinals, in the NL Central. The younger Contreras has gotten into 153 games in his career so far, hitting 28 home runs and producing an overall batting line of .260/.338/.471 for a wRC+ of 121. His defensive work isn’t as highly rated as his bat, but he’s still quite young, turning 25 later this month. Even with subpar defense, he’s produced 2.5 fWAR in his brief career thus far, meaning any developments in that department would make him tremendously valuable. It had been recently reported that the Brewers were interested in catching upgrades, but since the club has been paring back a tight payroll, they never seemed like candidates for a big free agent splash. Instead, they’ve acquired a young backstop who has yet to reach arbitration eligibility and has five years of club control remaining. The club has also added a couple of depth arms in Payamps and Yeager.
For the A’s, it’s been reported that they have been prioritizing MLB-ready talent in their trade talks and they have achieved that here. Muller, 25, has appeared in each of the past two major league seasons, logging 49 innings so far. He has an unimpressive 5.14 ERA in that time, but he’s fared much better in the minors. He’s made 40 Triple-A starts in the past two years and has a 3.40 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. Baseball America recently ranked him the top prospect in Atlanta’s system.
Ruiz has spent most of his career in the Padres’ system but he went to the Brewers in the Josh Hader trade last year. He has some MLB experience, having played in 17 games this year between the two clubs. In 114 minor league games, he hit .332/.447/.526 while stealing 85 bases in 114 games. BA has not yet published their list of top Milwaukee prospects for this offseason, but Ben Badler of BA tweets that Ruiz was going to be in the #8 slot.
Tarnok also has very limited MLB experience, with 2/3 of an inning on the books so far. He threw 106 2/3 innings in the minors this year with a 4.05 ERA, 27.2% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate. He ranked #9 on the BA list of top Atlanta prospects. Piña is a 35-year-old veteran who is likely to serve as insurance in case Langeliers struggles or needs some veteran guidance. He signed a two-year, $8MM deal with Atlanta but required season-ending wrist surgery in May. He’ll earn $4.5MM in 2023 with a $4MM club option for 2024 with no buyout.
The one prospect who isn’t likely to help the big league club immediately is Salinas. He turns 22 in April and split the most recent season between Single-A and High-A. He posted a 3.55 ERA over 25 starts with a huge 37.6% strikeout rate but a 13.5% walk rate. Baseball America recently placed him #7 on their list of Atlanta prospects.
The Braves were facing a challenge in the NL East despite having won the division in five straight seasons. The Mets and Phillies have been been spending wildly to upgrade for the coming season. The Mets have added Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, José Quintana and David Robertson, in addition to re-signing Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz. The Phillies have signed Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm. The Braves were going to face a challenge in keeping up with that pace since they were nearing the luxury tax. As is his wont, Anthopoulos has turned to the trade market to make his upgrades. The club still has a question mark at shortstop, with Dansby Swanson having departed for free agency. They could always bring him back though they reportedly haven’t been talking much this offseason. After this trade, the club’s CBT figure is at $229MM, per Roster Resource, just shy of the $233MM luxury tax threshold for next year.
For the Brewers, they’ve parted with an outfield prospect they just acquired but have added an exciting young catcher, something they would be challenged to do in free agency with their payroll constraints. For the A’s, they have parted with yet another established major leaguer, adding to the list of quality players they’ve sent out the door. In exchange, they’ve brought in one veteran backstop and four young players that they hope can be a part of forming the next competitive core in Oakland.
Talkin’ Jake of Jomboy Media first reported that the Braves, Brewers and A’s were lining up on a deal, as well as the involvement of Contreras (Twitter links). Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported Murphy going to the Braves, as well as the involvement of Piña and the eventual final deal. Robert Murray of FanSided first mentioned Ruiz and Tarnok (Twitter links). Joel Sherman first mentioned Payamps and Yeager on Twitter. Kiley McDaniel first had Muller’s name on Twitter.
Images courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Whoa! Big addition in a division that’s been getting much tighter the past few weeks.
Big news for a’s fans – both of them!
I’m the second one. I’ve never even met the first guy.
That’s because he is in the UK.
…..and hopefully stays there.
Just checking in… the A’s now only have one fan.
lol
Sufferforsnakes lmao. Agreed.
The first guy is here, not that poser in the UK, and he’s been silent about the A’s for awhile, with good reason. Team has turned into a sad joke.
Enough already. I am the president of the Oakland A’s Fan Club. We’re having our annual meeting this Friday. I invite all you snarks to come.. It’s at the Alameda Denny’s off exit 133, front right booth.
I always loved the Moneyball movie so I’m a fan from afar… Cubs first, but root for the A’s in the AL
Well damn if I was in Alameda I’d be there
they will get more when the move to las vegas, charlotte maybe nashville..
Dave Dombrowski spent his time after leaving the Red Sox here in Nashville trying to get MLB here. When he left to take over the Phils, he made statements to the effect that MLB “isn’t coming to Nashville in the near future.” He wasted 3 years here and countless millions of investor money trying to get a team to move here or laying a foundation for expansion. No “championship” for him here, but he did get to blow a wad of his investor’s cash, so he accomplished one of the things he always does in his endeavors. MLB expansion will be fought hard here in the South. Braves, Marlins, Reds would fight expansion into their areas.. Vegas, Montreal. Mexico City seem to be the most likely candidates for expansion or a franchise move, imo.
“Guardians’ No. 1 trade candidate, Sean Murphy, is off the market
A’s wanted an everyday player & 2 top prospects (including P Daniel Espino), per DreKnott this morning on ESPNCleveland
CLE said no. Smart move IMO.A lot to give up considering Bo Naylor is waiting in the wings”
Smart if the plan is to never do anything in the post season. Last time Cleaveland was relevant I recall a lot of top prospects going to the Yankees for Andrew Miller….
Loading up for one year is what fans want, truth is the playoffs are a crapshoot and any team can win. So it’s smart to be competitive and make the playoffs ei exactly what Cleveland does year in year out. You’re welcome for the education.
I’m not sure “the post season is totally random so why bother planning for it” is really an academic argument. Does your theory have 97% repeatability?
A lot? They traded Justus Sheffield and Clint Frazier. Both of whom didn’t pan out. You’re also omitting the fact the Cle has a highly touted top 100 prospect in catcher Bo Naylor..
Where’s that certain A’s fan, A’sFanInTheUk or whatever his name is? Dude honestly thought the A’s would get Espino, G. Williams, & Valera for Murphy… hahahahahahahhaa Did you even get a top 100 guy at all from either the Braves or the Brewers? You got absolutely fleeced you clown.
At the time, Sheffield and Frazier were definitely top prospects. You can’t use hindsight to say that they didn’t give up much for Miller, because at the time it seemed like they had paid a lot to get him.
Relevant? They are one of the most winningness teams of the last six years. The fact that they are doing it with under 100 million in salaries make them relevant.
Whether or not they panned out Frazier was a top 100 prospect and Sheffield was highly regarded. A crazy haul for a relief pitcher, until he got a series MVP award for helping push Cleaveland through a tough playoff opponent, don’t remember who.
It’s not a theory it’s fact. No gm builds their team for the playoffs because they know the playoffs are a series of short series and just need the team to get hot at the right time, see the Phillies and braves as recently examples. The best team rarely wins so yes the theory is repeatable and all 30 gms think this way.
Cleveland has been excellent at helping build other team’s rotation.
I’m fine with Kluber, Carrasco, Clevinger, and Bauer being paid by other teams now. Lol
Assuming you have the ability to mathematically prove you can quantify the “best” team and that the ensuing results are “completely random with no significant trends based on adding one or more players” then yes, that would be the definition of a fact.
No one is paying Trevor Bauer
They’ve ran the numbers. In the past when only 5 teams made the playoffs most teams had .600 plus winning %. So it was two .600 teams going against each other. If one team added a 4 war player which is an allstar caliber player, it affected the teams odds of winning that series by like a 10th of a % point. In other words basically it was meaningless. So yes it is a fact. You just have some ignorant bias because you been told teams choke in the players and going all in is what teams should do. This is a incorrect way of thinking and just about every brilliant Ivy League gm thinks this way as well. And frankly the mlbpa thinks this way as well. That’s why the bargained against more playoffs. More playoffs means more teams, more teams in playoffs means teams don’t have to try as hard and spend as much money to make playoffs. Because they know anyone can win once in playoffs
Bloom came so close to landing Murphy by offering Dalbec and Hosmer.
Bloom Derangement Syndrome. Stop obsessing.
Lol
AA is not done…!!!
@rundmc
Remember what I said about capitalizing on Contreras good year and not trusting him full time and you saying the braves would be stupid to trade him?
So far the A’s have given up Sean Murphy & gotten
– 36 year old negative WAR catcher
– brewers No. 8 prospect
– Braves No. 6 prospect.
And Braves no. 1 prospect
–Braves–
Sean Murphy
–Brewers–
William Contreras
Joel Payamps
Justin Yeager
–Athletics–
Manny Piña
Esteury Ruiz
Kyle Muller
Freddy Tarnok
Yeah, don’t forget Kyle Muller.
@Marianarivera – I see that you’re paraphrasing and not quoting what was said, which would give context that would change things.
Considering the shallow C market, I didn’t think ATL would get rid of Contreras, who along with d’Arnaud provided the most positional production in MLB in ’22, but of course, if his replacement (Sean Murphy) that is an upgrade and controllable thru ’26 is involved — now that’s not stupid, no?
Yet none of the established MLB types it seemed they wanted from Other teams.
If this deal stays it feel really lite for Oakland. To land Grissom out of the deal feels like a loss (and I am not an Oakland fan – just internal observer). Can’t have a redo of Donaldson trade.
–Athletics–
Manny Piña
Esteury Ruiz
Kyle Muller
Freddy Tarnok
& Royber Salinas (from Braves)
Is that a typo or did Esteury Ruiz have 85 stolen bases last year?
85 stolen and 14 caught.
Combined between AA, AAA and AAA stops.
Running like a river into the ocean….
He did. The minors last season played under the same rules that MLB will follow in 2023, meaning larger bases and a limit of two throws to 1B by the pitcher. Expect certain type of teams to run wild. The A’s are probably planning for that.
Ruiz stole 85 bases total last year in AA and AAA. He was caught stealing 14 times.
Pourin’ like an avalanche comin’ down the mountain
Brewers are giddy about getting Contreras and a slew of arms and only giving up Ruiz. Methinks Brewer rookie GM Matt Arnold pulled a fast one.
85 in the minors, 1 in the majors. He has blazing speed.
Well I asked if the A’s thought he was Johnny Bench. Apparently the Braves, Who really didn’t even need a C thought he was for that haul. Or they just needed to reset their 30 top prospects list. I thought this was crazy, But this whole off season has been pretty far out there.
A’s got Royber Salinas too. Hard throwing A ball pitcher. Braves # 7 prospect (BA.) Big arm. Big guy—needs to work on conditioning, but he’s only 21. Nice sleeper.
But you can’t steal first base
He hit over .300 in AA/AAA combined and showed a a significant increase in his walk rate this year… resulting in a ..447 OBP in 2022.
Lets see if I got this right.
The Braves give up 6 players including 2 MLB players, for Murphy.
The Brewers give up just their #8 prospect Ruiz for 2 MLB players, Contreras and Payamps, and a low level prospect.
The A’s get a Pina who is a 35 year old backup catcher, a 25 year old Muller who is the Braves #1 prospect but not a top 100 prospect, and 2 MEH pitching prospects.
Did I get that right?
Well, the Brewers made out big on this one. Braves got their man. And the A’s whiffed.
I think you’re forgetting OAK receiving OF Esteury Ruiz (MIL #8 prospect).
You are correct. Former Padre. Great speed. Bat has really picked up and showing a bit of power.
So the A’s got no top 100 prospects and only a 35-36 year old backup catcher?
Braves gave up a better, younger catcher for a worse, older catcher and chipped in 5 other players, Kyle Muller included, for the fun of it.
I assure you everyone except the Braves won this one.
No idea why people are so high on Murphy. This feels like Olson all over again, and that one is off to a bad start before anyone bothers trying to defend it.
Contreras is NOT a better catcher, maybe a better power hitter. But while he did improve as a catcher, he is still a liability behind the plate.
No mention of stats or facts to make your case, only your feelings. Someone’s misses Freddie’s hugs.
Judging is easier than thinking.
Contreras is affirmatively NOT a better catcher than Murphy. Not at ALL. Only catchers who were better in 2022 were JT Realmuto and Adley Rutschman, neither of whom are getting traded any time soon. And with 3 years of control the Braves aren’t in a position where they have to pay Murphy or lose him any time soon.
@MJ: Poor trade evaluation. Murphy’s a much better catcher than Contreras. Comparable bats–Willie C. more power—but Murphy’s a far superior defender. Braves sold high on Contreras. Excellent move. The Braves gave mil talent and a catcher who may just be a DH going forward. That’s a DH who can’t hit breaking pitches, btw. He’s got a hole in his swing big enough to drive a truck through.. No one has to “defend” the Olson trade. You act like they traded FF for Olson. They didn’t, and he’s comparable value replacement for the player who signed elsewhere of his own accord. Can’t believe 4 people actually agree w/your clueless take on this deal—-and the Olson trade.
@NashvilleJeff
No offense but that’s an even worse analysis than mine of this trade. First off, even if Contreras is relegated to being a DH this was still a bad trade. Murphy is a mediocre offensive catcher. You’re likely to get .235 with 15 HRs from him. The fact you call them comparable bats shows the bias you have evaluating this trade. The only thing comparable about them as hitters is that Contreras posted similar numbers to Murphy while having nearly 200 at bats less. He hits for much better average, much better power, and a much better OPS as a result.
But let’s focus on the defensive angle of Murphy here because we all know that’s the selling point of this trade. Who’s defense did you replace in this trade? I got some bad news, it wasn’t Contreras’ defense. D’Arnaud is a perfectly fine catcher defensively. His arm is average I’ll admit, but the rest of what D’Arnaud brings defensively is that he’s a good catcher. At best, you have a slight defensive upgrade over D’Arnaud by bringing Murphy in.
The flip side here, is Murphy offensively still tries to replace Contreras, because D’Arnaud will still be in the lineup likely as the new DH. So it’s Contreras bat that Murphy bumps out, which is a massive downgrade offensively.
But there’s one more angle we can try to play with Murphy…. maybe you’re saying that one-term he’ll be better to replace D’Arnaud after he leaves. In that case you do replace what would have been Contreras’ defense behind the plate taking over for D’Arnaud. Problem with this argument…. Murphy has all of 1 more year of control than we have over D’Arnaud (in 20225). That’s it. So even looking at Murphy as a long-term solution defensively doesn’t make sense. The 3 years we have him, we already have a perfectly capable defensive catcher for 2 of those years with D’Arnaud…. all while massively downgrading our offense by taking subtracting Contreras out of the DH spot.
As I side note, I never said anything about trading FF for Olson. You’re putting words in my mouth to try and make a very weak point. The Braves went out and traded for an overrated Oakland A’s player plain and simple. The irony of that trade is they sent Shea Langeliers over to Oakland… who is someone who actually could have replaced D’Arnaud long term beyond the 2025 season if they weren’t liking Contreras by the plate.
Now they’re repeating history. The fact that they extended Olson to a massive contract before ever stepping on the field is an insult on injury. Looking forward to the massive extension Murphy gets here in a few days for absolutely no reason. It’s not like we don’t have glaring holes at SS and a corner outfield spot or anything.
I also found the irony of talking about the holes in Contreras swing, but you still think trading for (and massively extending) Olson with the swing he has was a good decision? At least Contreras is just breaking in to the league. If there is a hole he’s still trying to adjust. Olson’s been here long enough. He would have adjusted by now if he could, but he can’t. That swing is going to be very ugly when he can’t catch up to anything halfway through his extension.
The scouting reports on Contreras do not support the notion that he will be a DH. Many scouting reports of his defense have mentioned his athleticism and how he has improved year by year. A few of them (Baseball America being one) have stated that he could become an above average overall defender. Maybe not on Murphy’s level, but far from a liability especially when you consider his offensive ability and age.
No offense taken MJ. Contreras has problems w/pitch recognition on breaking balls. That’s different than the mechanical swing flaw you’re claiming Olson has. Can Contreras get better at his pitch recognition? Maybe. If he doesn’t, pitchers will stop throwing him fastballs and changeups because that’s all he can hit right now (and hits them well.) Can he become an acceptable defensive catcher? Possibly, but the Braves decided not to count on that happening (if they even believe he can.) The Braves FO traded for a much better defensive catcher whose bat should get even better now that he’s out of the worst hitting environment in baseball (especially for rh hitters)—and his 116wRC+ is already quite good for a catcher. Yes, Contreras had a better wRC+, but his poor defense drags his overall value down. Wouldn’t worry about your imaginary scenario—a possible Murphy extension—–until it happens. Murphy’s defense will be a big plus when the new rules go into effect next season (pickoff rule, pitch clock, bigger bases.) He’ll make the pitching staff better by controlling the run game, better pitch calling and framing, and w’much better athleticism behind the plate. Braves pitchers can finally throw breaking balls in the dirt w/men on bases w/confidence that Murphy will block them (unlike Contreras.) For example, Murphy’s going to make Kyle Wright better by allowing to him use his entire repertoire and expanding pitching to a bigger piece of the plate. Lessening d”Arnaud’s load behind the plate will make him more effective by keeping him fresher/healthier (and improve their ability to deal w/the new rule changes by utilizing Murphy’s better defense.) Little d’s 33 and has trouble staying on the field. Makes sense to get a better overall player to handle a bigger share of the catching. The Braves now have the best catching tandem in baseball. Also, I said “you act like they traded FF for Olson.” Never claimed that you said they did. “As an aside”—-repeatedly claiming that something “is plain and simple” doesn’t turn an opinion into a fact.
Muller is a top 100 prospect, he is #58.
More like made out HUGE on this one.
Not sure if I make this trade if I’m AA but it’s not that egregious. Idk what David Forst was thinking.
Feels like the Braves gave up a lot.
Someone explain to me how this is worth it. Contreas did great in less than 100 games. Murphy is good but you had a catcher who wad young and talented. not only that you gave up prospects as well? Brewers got a stud catcher. I don’t get ir
Contreras is not really a catcher. With more developmental improvement, he might become an average defensive catcher someday. His framing is bad, and the rest of his defensive skills are a little below average.
The position will be much more important with the new rule changes, so Atlanta is trading with his value high. He’s more likely to get fit into lineups where he can, mostly at DH. Atlanta was still hoping for improvement, but also Plan-B’ed to turn him into a LF/DH type. But that’s someone else’s project now.
@-C: You should have 100 likes on this from Braves fans. I gave you mine. Contreras is likely a future DH. Don’t feel too bad for the Brewers when they find out he can’t hit a breaking ball. Good fb, change up hitter, horrendous on sliders/curves. Btw, the only game he played in left field last season ended any thoughts the Braves had of turning him into an of’er. He’s totally lost out there.
It really is hard for us, as fans, to really grasp.how good a catcher is at everything else out there. There are metrics for some of it…pop times…CS rate…framing (which, as a metric, is faintly ridiculous). But the overall defensive package for a catcher is far beyond that.
The pitchers and coaches are the ones that see it and it really ends up by reputation. However, the reality is that a top catcher is mostly based upon the overall defensive side of things, and the bat on top of that is what makes the elite ones. Great bat and poor defense still equates to a catcher that is not that good at his job. Great defense (with all that encompasses) and a weak bat still equates to a good catcher that can anchor a team.
-C Exactly! Why is it that Milwaukee is consistently averse to players who provide speed and defense? Oh yeah, I forgot those types of players typically don’t fit the Stearns/CounsellAttanasio’s image of a Brewer. Aside from Cain and Wong recently, Milwaukee rarely puts together a good defensive team to support the pitching staff. Hell, why not have traded directly for Murphy and put him in a Brewer uni? No, instead, acquire another slow afoot, HR or K, subpar defensive player.
@SharksFan91–
Get ready for your jaw to drop next season when the Brewers install their 80 grade speed CF Garrett Mitchell (6th fastest sprint speed & fastest time HP to first), 70 grade-speed LF Sal Frelick and 60 grade-speed RF Joey Wiemer with Brice Turang and his 60 grade speed at 2B. All will be starters before mid-season.
All are plus to double plus defensively.
And after a season of Contreras working with catching guru’s Charlie Greene & Walker McKinven, he’ll be among the better receivers in the game and with his bat, an all-star for the last 4 years of his arby years.
@bud selig fan Yes, and the Easter Bunny arrives in April too. I hear the bunny is also quick. Maybe the white rabbit can play too?
Just because the kids can run, doesn’t mean they can run intelligently, and also play D and hit. When was the last time the Brewers had a “four or five-tool” homegrown player on the roster, let alone in the lineup? Braun?
signed up to this website just to give you your flowers
Braves (Anthopolis) got the catcher he wanted and Braves needed. Trade will probably end up being a win-win for Braves, Brewers and A’s.
I guess that would make it a win-win-win?
Talking Jake first to report
Damn you John Mozeliak
I feel like the Brewers did really well here. Atlanta gave up a lot but got a top tier C, and Oakland got quantity but I don’t see a lot of quality on the return for 5 WAR catcher.
I bet the White Sox were in the bidding until the end. I guess offering Grandal and Moncada just missed out.
Rick Hahn must be working a 6-team trade. That’s why it’s taking so long to get something done.
This package is not light for the A’s whatsoever. Some of you seem to believe that the medias top 100 prospect list is the same as the MLB organization’s prospect list. It’s not fellas. Keith Law, Baseball America, etc are not legit scouts. They go by where players are drafted. Its why they are terrible at evaluating international players. The A’s while poor are very good at scouting. I personally think AA made a mistake with this trade.
This trade is terrible for the A’s and I always like when teams tank and get rid of their established stars but this is god awful.
Where’s that A’sfaninUK guy? He’s gotta have some of the most outrageous takes on this trade.
Nooooooo
BREAKING NEWS: I actually feel really bad for the A’s, and all their fans now. It’s just time to move to Las Vegas already.
It doesn’t matter where the A’s move, nothing will change for the handful of teams sucking the life out of the rest of the league. The MLB is just a bad product for a majority of the fans that still pay attention to baseball.
In the case of the A’s it will matter if they move. They’re cutting costs bc their owner expects to spend a lot of his own money on a new stadium in the next 3-5 years.
The reason they’re being such idiots is that the county owns their stadium and they make almost no money from it and won’t improve it bc it’s not theirs.
They’re intentionally torching their own fan base to get either their own stadium that they own (with as much public money dumped into it for them as possible) or impetus to move. At which point they will become a functioning mid-market franchise again.
I live in Vegas, love baseball but I am praying the A’s dont move here. Slum lord owners, getting a new palace built and 50-60 wins a year. no thanks.
Don’t worry. The A’s are not moving out of the 6th largest TV market into the 40th largest TV market.
Right. No professional sports team would ever do that…
In fairness to the A’s, they regularly have good teams that contend and post winning records. I wouldn’t judge them based on what they’re doing the last two years to rebuild. They’re aiming a couple years out for whatever new ballpark they’ll be in, be it a new one in Oakland or a new one in Vegas.
The A’s are good as gone. As soon as average attendance let’s them out of the coliseum contract they are gone.
You love baseball but are only familiar with the A’s record from last year? I assume this is some sort of Memento situation.
POLL!: A’s are a dark horse to move to Mexico City. Agree or disagree?
LV already did that for a football team.
Wow, I was not expecting the Braves to acquire Murphy. This is good for Murphy that he has a chance to win with the Braves now. The Braves just got a great defensive catcher. I can’t wait to see the players the A’s are getting in return for Murphy because they wanted too much from the Cards. They were asking for Nootbaar, Graceffo and Donovan. There is no way, I wanted the Cardinals to trade Graceffo and Donovan.
Same here. But then all the Contreras haters came out of the woodwork to try and convince everyone that he’s basically a AAA level catcher lol.
I love Contreras, but that’s not too far off. The framing is bad. Watching him catch, he has some lapses that are some mix of bad focus and fundamentals. He’s not particularly good at anything behind the plate, and he’s going to get run on with the new rules.
I think the bat’s legit, but he’s more DH than catcher.
-C:
The framing over the last three years grades out at 1 above average season and 2 average seasons when compared to his peers. The arm strength and pop time are excellent. The ability to suppress the running game is excellent. The back pick numbers are elite. Chicago pitchers like Lester and Hendricks (among others) applaud his game calling.
Based on what he is really good at defensively (arm strength, pop time, back picks, caught stealing %, and stolen base prevention) he will dominate with increased emphasis on stolen bases from other teams.
I’ve been saying all along that there is no hard evidence that supports the view that he’s a “bad catcher”. He is, at the very worst, an average defensive catcher. Considering his arm and run game suppression he’s actually above average at least.
This is all it took? There has to be more to this trade…they wanted Buckingham Palace from the Cardinals…
Wagner>Cobb: It stated in the article that other parts of the deal were unknown. Hence the “more to come” part of the article. (insert eye roll & thinking emojis).
Still a light return in my opinion, compared to what they wanted from St. Louis. I’m a Cardinals fan by the way. I’m glad Mo turned it down.
It really seems like, from that report, the A’s return from the actual trade is a long way from what they wanted from the Cardinals.
Or from Cleveland.
I imagine they were reporting on the first round of asks to see if anybody would give up that much. This seems like a “second round” of shopping Murphy around sort of deal.
Seems like they wanted a “power arm” to headline along w/ other pieces.
Muller is a “power arm” but he has no command. This was a head scratcher. Esteury Ruiz is an A’s type of player for sure. Questions on his hit tool but can really run.
Maybe they’ll find something but they targeted ML ready guys. Evidently they don’t think this an extremely long rebuild like everyone else does.
I’ve learned to never count out the A’s. They are pretty much the anti-Angels. No big splashes but normally good teams.
A quicker than expected rebuild would be about right from them.
Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas are both power arms. Braves fan here who thinks A’s fans are going to like both of these guys down the road. Muller’s going to be ok for you guys too. Hang in there, Imo, this is better for the A’s than most here think..
they coulda taken me I woulda been okay with that lol
Oh poop
Watch where you step!
Wow!
They’re hoarding catchers!
Net zero catchers in this deal
Actually a net of negative one–they gave up two catchers.
Net of +1 for the Brew Crew.
How much did the A’s come down in price
Here is my guess what this trade will look like: Vaughn Grissom, Travis d’Arnaud, Jarod Shuster, JR Ritchie.
I hope you’re wrong.
Uh we aren’t trading Grissom for him
Braves getting Murphy and Willy Adames, giving up every youngster not in the lineup
Someone forgot to put Willy Adames name of the transaction form……if nothing changes the new Brewers GM has his first win
0% chance when Dansby hasn’t been resigned yet.
I doubt d’Arnaud. I don’t think the A’s want a 34 year old catcher. He’s not expensive, but probably more than the A’s want to pay. I’d guess it’s all close to MLB ready prospects.
Stop gap gor Langliers.
Swing and a miss.
Seriously though it is amazing they made this trade with the only real loss being Contreras. Strange that not even any real prospects were part of the deal. Seems more like just mixed-and-matched pieces between the three teams
well Braves #1 and #6 prospect were included and Brewers #8. Seems like a decent prospect haul.
Didn’t realize Muller was the Braves #1 prospect. I guess someone had to be
He was by default. Not a great one, IMHO. I’d put more stock in Elder or #2 prospect: Schuster at this point.
We have some weird thing with the Braves and Blue Jays where they give us a large volume of mid level and failing prospects for star players… maybe the trades also involve undisclosed venmo payments directly into Fischer’s account? We’ll see if Langeliers works out but aside from that it’s been a pretty long legacy of failure.
How the A’s value players is going to be vastly different from the fans viewpoint. They have their own scouting and metrics that they look for. Many of the names may not be recognized by the average poster on this site. Just because you don’t recognize the players from the teams they traded with does not mean they “lowered” their asking price. It just means your team wouldn’t pay it from the players you’re familiar with. It could also be that your team did offer those players but Oakland valued this offer higher.
Oakland has gotten what you call “garbage” back in returns as of late. They haven’t earned much leeway.
There goes Atlanta’s farm system
A’s said they wanted ML-ready players, not prospects.
I think Vaughn Grissom will be the prize heading over to Oakland.
Kuntry, Mo and Marquis have been out of the game a while now!
Nah…..
Figured it would be a 3 way.
Oh come on ANYBODY but them
Apparently brewers are also involved.
Why do you say that?
The guy on Twitter who broke it said it’s a 3 team trade between braves, brewers and A’s.
I guess we’ll find out soon
The Brewers are getting Contreras from ATL.
You were correct
We aren’t involved with anyone who hits above .206
Doesn’t fit our lineup
Well looks like brew crew just got Contreras
Good call
Batting average doesn’t matter. Try using stats from this decade
Every time I read such a shortsighted comment I feel the need to point out that, yes, batting average does matter. I’d rather have a guy get a hit with a man on third and two outs than walk. I can provide plenty of scenarios, but stop with the nonsense. Next you’ll say WAR really reflects the value of a player.
Well said Redwine. A walk is as good as a hit…until it isn’t.
No batting average doesn’t matter I stopped reading after you wrote that. There isn’t a single gm in the past decade plus that looks at batting average they would just laugh in your face.
I hope you’re right.
Per Jon Heyman…the third team is the Yankees. Judge is going to Oakland , Murphy to the Braves, and Braves are sending Matt Olson to Yankees along with Austin Riley
If that were the case, he’d have to play all the positions because he makes up their entire payroll.
It must be Burglar Judge going, because his brother, Arson, already went to SF.
A’s just going to become the Oakland Braves at this point aren’t they?
The Braves AAAA affiliate?
More like AA
Alex Anthopoulos? This is a bit of a headscratcher considering I figured they were happy with the tandem of Contreras and d’Arnaud. I see they sent out Contreras in the deal but it looks like d’Arnaud is still there. I’d think Murphy is the lead, so are they relegating d’Arnaud to his backup or will he be on the move too?
d’Arnaud/Contreras was a 60-40 split at C with Contreras getting DH duty. That was harder to do with Acuna needing the DH while ailing from playing RF. Presumably, Murphy/d’Arnaud would continue this 60-40 split with d’Araud getting DH duty, that would allow him to stay healthy longer. They’d also benefit from having Murphy behind the plate more defensively. They’re also presumably shedding Piña’s contract clearing up some money and opening another roster spot. I wouldn’t be surprised to see ATL include some of that Piña savings with Rosario to ship him out (knowing Ozuna they’d have to include A LOT more). Or, AA could see the Piña savings to apply to LF upgrade.
He’ll be the DH when he doesn’t catch.
Correct me if I’m wrong, RunDMC, but if they DH d’Arnaud, do they not lose the DH if he has to come in to catch?
Murphy had a higher OPS+ in ’22 than Swanson’s breakout season…and that was in a spacious OAK home park. So he could still be a good DH…or great in comparison to the current alternatives: Rosario/Ozuna.
@RunDMC: Murphy’s projected arb salary of $3.5M next season is swapped for Pina’s $4.5M 2023 salary. Only save $1M there………..
@Appalachian: You’re right about losing the DH if little d has to come in and catch in that scenario. Didn’t seem to bother the Braves last season when they swapped out d’Arnaud and Contreras between C. and DH.
Ah thanks, I kept looking for that and couldn’t find a breakdown. Thanks.
Putting Murphy as the primary DH is a felony.
They wouldn’t be — he’s one of the best def C in the game. He would be primarily be the C with d’Arnaud serving as DH, keeping him healthy, and serving as C to spell Murphy behind the plate for a reg breather. They did something similar with Contreras serving as mainly DH.
They don’t have anything else to trade, Murphy was their last big trade chip. Unless laureano revives his career. Tony kemp may have some value for middling prospects. Or a team likes AJ Puk enough
Laureano (if he improves) and any package of halfway decent relievers might get a solid return at the deadline. Seth Brown and the two utility players we just signed could also be worth something if they perform well.
I hope the Braves gave up a catcher or two so this trade actually makes sense.
No, the whole reason OAK was willing to move Murphy is because they are stacked with young Catchers. This is a head scratcher by ATL. They too were stacked already at C.
d’Arnaud is a free agent after this season and they obviously saw something they didn’t like in Contreras that they went this route in the first place
I’m guessing something happened the braves didnt like. Talent wise the braves regressed here
A’s farm is going to be all former Braves.
All but the best ones 🙁
Eh, Langeliers was a good get. Let’s see the return here first.
Ryan Cusick as well.
It would actually be a smart move to bring d’Arnaud over to act as a mentor for Langeliers.
He would be the “get” in the trade is that were the case, which would be atrociously bad. I don’t want to trade Murphy (the better catcher) for a mentor.
So AA just lied?
This surprises you? Gms lie all the time. It’s their job.
Guess his truth changed when the price went down
Yay! Let the trades begin. I just hope this was an underpay or a salary dump that lowers the value for guys like Bryan Reynolds. I won’t change my name to Reynolds Texas Ranger, but he would be a secondary guy to root for.
Yeah, I really hope he gets traded as well. Or, gets a huge extension from Pittsburgh. Neither seems likely, unfortunately.
I agree with that. However, morals aside, Cobb >>>>> Wagner. and Arod >>> Wagner
To each their own. I’m especially moved by the Flying Dutchman severely outplaying the Georgia Peach in their lone World Series match up. Cobb was incredible though. Also, the allegations about his character seem like they may have been slander.
How long before they give this kid an extension offer?
About five minutes after it’s a done deal.
So they were going after a catcher all along. I remember the discussion being why would that be such an area of need for them, especially given that Dansby is a FA? It will be interesting to see what they sent to Oakland.
A great team just got better.
How? Murphy is not really that much better than d’Arnaud. Their bench got better, but I don’t think the lineup really got that much better.
Not right now but Murphy has more of that thing scouts call upside. We’ll see.
It’s not just the offense, it’s the defense as well. Murphy is, obviously, much younger and is coming off a 5.1 fWAR season. d’Arnaud will be 34 when the season starts and is coming off a 3.9 fWAR season. But Murphy is in his prime and projects notably better.
It’s an edge that could make all the difference when squaring off against the Mets & Phillies, and it’s exactly the kind of move that screams “WE’RE IN!”. If they’re able to bring Swanson back, even better, but they have a pretty solid alternative in Grissom.
And if they keep d’Arnaud, using him as the backup could keep him more effective. If they move him, well, they could arguably tighten up even more. in another area.
I’m with you, Hiflew. I don’t love this trade for the Braves. Murphy is great, don’t get me wrong. Obviously it shores up the position for next year in the event Travis leaves. I don’t see what it does for the Braves *this* year, though. Both guys can’t catch simultaneously, and neither has the bat Contreras does at DH. So now I see them needing two solid bats to fill 3 positions of need.
Dude I know this going to ruffle some feathers but imo Braves are going with Ozuna at DH to start the season. It’s a gamble but Ozuna has always been streaky and Braves are looking for a bounce back year.
Contreras’s bat is probably due some regression (in fairness, so is d’Arnaud’s). Murphy’s will likely be considerably better at Truist as opposed to Oakland.
The upgrade on defense outweighs the offense, in my opinion. I am not a big believer in Contreras behind the plate. Neither was Atlanta, which is why Pina was signed in the first place.
Absolutely agree w/you on this Soco. Big sunk cost on Ozuna and a bit on Rosario too. Best the Braves give them a chance to rebound. .
His BABIP against LHPs was .435. He will still be a power-threat even with that number coming down to Earth, but yeah, there very well likely be some regression.
Atlanta sold high on him.
Heck ya. Adding Manny Pina at catcher is huge.
A rebuilding team getting a 35 year=old catcher is huge?
He can work with the youngsters for a year or two.
I don’t understand
AA is a mastermind. I am not sweating the Dansby thing, AA has a plan. Remember Freeman? Yeah, we got Olson then signed him to an extension.
A rare Braves move that actually had rumors behind it for weeks. Someone cracked AA’s mythical silence.
Or it came from Oakland lol
This doesn’t move the needle for them TBH.
I agree. It’s an odd use of valuable assets. They were already stacked at C.
Still better than your Phillies TBH.
LOL okay then. Enjoy 3rd.
You think we’re going to be in 3rd lol. That’s cute. Considering the Phillies haven’t won 90 games in a season in over 20 years I doubt that. Turner and a starter doesn’t make up 14 or so games difference. We have been told since 2019 that the Phillies are going to win because there “big additions.”. Ever since the Harper signing. It hasn’t happened yet though! But if it does hats off to them. But, you can’t talk trash when you haven’t won a thing. Personally I see the Mets winning. Sorry @vonpurplehays, this isn’t directed at you,
Technically they won 98 games in 2022 if you count the playoffs. Mets won 102. Also the Phillies had 102 wins in 2011 which was only 11 years ago, not 20.
I’ve been on this good planet since 1963. For all your Braves winning, it means nothing. Bottom line. Both the Braves and Phillies each won 2 world series in my lifetime.. Seems even to me!
@TheDayMLBDied: All the Braves winning has been a lot more fun to watch over the last 30 years than what Phils fans have seen during the same time period. Also, we all get to see a lot more regular season wins than the crapshoot playoff games. Btw, “I’ve been good on this planet since” 1956. Have a nice day, lol.
Who convincingly sent the Braves packing in the playoffs? Who just added Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker, and Matt Strahm?
Obviously not a Phillies fan. Just see the obvious. Phillies are a juggernaut.
Taijuan Walker doesn’t make anybody “a juggernaut.” The Braves won 14 more regular season games than the Philsnin 22. The playoffs are a crapshoot. We all know that. The Braves pitching (Fried, Strider) wasn’t healthy for the Division Series. Not belittling how well the Phils played, but you need glasses if you think you saw anything “obvious” about a 4 game playoff series deciding who the better team is. Phils were for 4 games—yes. For the near future, imo the Braves are a better team. Should be another good race in the East in 23. Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and make anice big bet on the Phils to win the Division? See how you like that come September……….
I don’t understand it. With Travis D’arnaud back there it seems unneeded. Curious to see the full details.
I bet there is another trade involved, btw I don’t have a problem with the Phillies it was a poor attempt at being witty
The Braves have won the division for the vast majority of my life, so I accept my team’s inferiority.
d’Arnaud will be 34, with only 1 year left on the deal. He has a 7.2 bWAR for his 10 year career. Murphy is 6 years younger, less expensive, controllable for a few more years, with a 7.9 bWAR for his 4 year career.
But they can’t play at the same time is my point.
@Von I am assuming DH and every 5 days or so switching them to give Murphy a break. Still have the Ozuna Rosario situation in LF and the SS hole. Makes me think another trade maybe coming
Yea. I should trust AA at this point, but right now I don’t see the Braves as being much better.
Maybe they plan to trade d’Arnaud? idk
@von
Yeah this isn’t a huge improvement, I don’t think AA is done just yet though. If anything though it improves the defense over Contreras.
@utah,
Maybe, I don’t think he’s worth more then a lottery ticket though.
I disagree. I think it’s a significant improvement.. Younger, cheaper, controlled, a better hitter, and a much better catcher. That last being the most important since catcher is such an important position.
I get the controlled aspect. But in terms of 2023, I don’t think it’s a move that moves the needle. I like the Brewers as the winners of this trade.
Phils beat a Beaves team minus Ozzie Albies with his 30hrs and 100rbi and a far,far from 100% Ronald Acuña. Thats a huge hurdle to overcome. Braves are still superior top to bottom according to most…despite not spending close to $400m like the Phils.
It doesn’t move the needle much offensively. This trade is more about defense as I’m expecting the Braves not to sign a SP this off-season. The bottom half of the rotation is going to be younger guys and having a good defensive catcher helps in that regard.
D’Arnaud has value. He may be on the block
@utah: Can’t deal d’Arnaud. They have no backup. Need him to be the #2. He’ll be better w/less time behind the plate and getting DH bats.
@Von: Braves get a great defensive catcher who’ll control the running game, steal more framing strikes, and is a much better hitter than d”Arnaud. Murphy’s defense is going to be a big improvement behind the plate—especially w/the only 2 pickoff throws to 1st and pitch clock coming. Also going to help keep a 35 year old d’Arnaud healthier. He’s been really worn down the last 2 months of the season in both of the last 2 years.
@Bill: Don’t think d’Arnaud’s going anywhere. Braves are strong w/their 2 catcher rotation. They have no backup w/out him. Murphy will get 110-120 starts. Travis d gets 40-50 plus another 50-60 games at DH. He’ll be fresh at season’s end and probably healthy all season—unlike the last 2 years.
Phils aren’t close to 400m. You’re confusing them with the Mets.
$400m was the ticket for this year’s free agents…not payroll. Braves spent next to nothing and are still favorites to repeat. That was my point.
No they aren’t.
Nice to see the Brewers front office let another bat get away. Yahhh us!!!
Crew was never going to land him. He’s the type of talent they trade away. However, now they might be able to make a deal with ATL for one of their many, many catchers.
sounds like contreras is headed to MKE… no report on what milwaukee is sending where
Brewers landed Contreras in this deal.
Where is that reported? I see they are the third team in an apparent 3-team deal.
Check Twitter. EDIT: Actually this article has been updated with that info.
Well the hits keep on coming from the Hader trade. Only a pitcher left. Pitiful return for the best closer in the game.
The Crew finally had pitching and the front office doesn’t know what to do. They are locked with indecision, so they stand pat. At least we get a light hitting catcher out of it, fits the team perfectly.
Ruiz was traded to get other prospects. This is kinda an extension of the Hader deal.
Yep, still waiting for the details to hit the site. Kinda feel for Ruiz, just tossed around from team to team, nobody really tied to him in a front office, so he likely won’t get much of a chance to show what he’s got at the big league level.
well, now ruiz became contreras, payampas and yeager, so that doesn’t suck… we definitely made out pretty well just giving up a fringe 4th OFer
Brinson 2.0? I hope not. He looks like he could impact an MLB roster. But, then again so did Brinson. I guess we will have to wait and see. That’s why they’re called prospects.
That “light hitting” 24 year old C (though not a great defensive one) coming of an All-Star season where he hit .278/.354/.506 with 20 bombs and an .860 OPS? That’s then an extension of the Hader trade. It’s not like they just let one of the pieces walk….
mikeyst13;
The Brewers have an excellent record of working with and straightening out catchers. They even had Yasmani Grandal
playing well before he left for the White Sox.
Another freezing cold take.
Chalk it up as a cold take then. Whatevs. The Crew has one year to win a WS. Is Contreras the trade that gets them there? That’s why they play the games. Hint, it’s not. The Cards were already better and we didn’t move the needle past them. Yelich, Adames, and Urias have to all have MVP-like seasons on top of the pitchers remaining injury free. That’s a lot to ask, so excuse this fan for having a cold take.
Braves running out 3 catchers everyday now?
One of their catchers will probably be included in this trade. My bet is Travis d’Arnaud
pina is going to OAK and Contreras to MKE
This will force Steve Cohen to go all out for Correa now
Won’t happen as long as they have a 300M SS already.
Correa to play 3rd, Escoabar a SH bench bat. I’m (mostly) joking.
No.
You’re not going to pay big $$ for a guy then move him off of the position where he made his mark.
Remember arod?
Normally, I’d agree, but it wouldn’t be the first time in NY even. The Yankees got ARod when they still had Jeter. The Mets signed Kaz Matsui when they had young Jose Reyes in the post-Rey Ordoñez years Even just a year and a half ago, the Mets traded for Baez as a rental when they had already given Lindor his contract, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
Correa said he’d only switch to 3rd base if it meant playing with Lindor…. Don’t count them out just yet.
How about Trevor Story?
I said the same thing below. Good call.
Isn’t Murphy a catcher? why trade for another carcher. Wonder what braves gave up?
Contreras is leaving for a ss I bet.
…or LF (Brian Reynolds)
So catchers are playing in Atlanta and shortstops are playing in San Diego this year?
I predict the major piece is Grissom. ATL will then sign Correa/Dansby, and then trade catching depth. Maybe for a Dbacks outfielder?
Odd, they have plenty of depth at C and we know OAK was asking A LOT for him. Seems like a bad way to utilize assets.
Lol wut. Smh idk how I feel as a braves fan
Good news is Asfaninuk can’t be a smug ahole anymore lol
I’m giddy as a brewers fan…. But I hold reserve also… they have a history of developing catchers with bad defence good bat…. Problem is the defence gets a lot better and the bat disappears
Mets have money.
Braves are smart.
Phillies are a bit of both.
I would argue that Phillies are more of the former and less of the latter. 11 year and 13 year contracts don’t scream smart.
They do when you get some of the best players in the game for a reasonable AAV. The Phillies have rarely missed on FAs. It happens of course, and Nick Castellanos’ year 1 was bad, but time will tell. Where the Phillies have failed historically is in the drafting/developing area.
The Phillies should have signed Bassitt at 3/63 instead of Walker at 4/72.
Phillies will look like the Tigers especially and somewhat like the Red Sox of the past few years once Dumbrowski dines and dashes as he always does. Complete fraud
DD hasn’t traded any prospects. outside of o’Hoppe. who they trade for a young controllable CF who was a year removed from being a prospect. Completely different situation than the Tigers and Sox.
dustink;
The guy gets a messed up organization to the WS in 2 years and hs’s a “fraud”?
Tell you what he is kid – he’s a future Hall of Famer.
Wah, Wah Wah! There is no crying in baseball.
Dombrowski is a proven WINNER & 1st Ballot Hall of Fame MLB executive.
He is now running circles around the Red Sox Front Office and Ownership Group.
Hope you are happy with the Sales and Marketing guy Sam Kennedy calling the shots in Boston LMFAO!
Preston Mattingly has done a good job whipping the Phillies farm into shape. They still have a lot to prove but it’d be a mistake to think they aren’t smart.
mets won 101 last year, they’re smart too… spending money doesn’t mean a team isn’t smart – their farm is light years ahead of the braves, for example
Ma4170;
Agreed that the Mets aren’t dumb. Never said that.
But they sure aren’t getting the bang for the buck that AA gets…or DD for that matter.
No doubt… I just felt the need to defend my franchise! haha
No need to defend the Mets anymore. They are absolutely a powerhouse for years to come. The Evil Empire to the rest of the league, but the kings of New York.
It’s a little surreal to be honest after so many years of the other way around (though in the 80s, they rightfully got more of the media attention).
Only because the Braves former farm system gems are now playing for the Braves. Michael Harris, Spencer Strider. Rookie and co-rookie of the year. Ever hear of em’?
Sure have… Harris was the only top 100 but wasn’t considered elite. Their farm was near dead last in mlb before they were called up. Nice try though
Dude stop obsessing over numbers. Harris and Strider are straight up studs…regardless of where Baseball America had them rated. Ask any GM out there if they would not give their right arm to have them. Atlanta can scout like no other organization. Don’t believe me? Just look at their team.
But it matters how all the experts view prospects. I know it seems like a crapshoot at times, but not where it’s throwing darts blindfolded. You’re assuming strider and Harris will maintain these levels, and they might not. But either way, Braves have had plenty of flops too in recent years (touki, Pache, waters, etc). Even before strider and Harris were called up, Mets farm was better. Would be hard to debate that one.
The Braves have an uncanny ability to trade prospects that have maxed out, plateaued or just no room on the team for them. Rarely have they traded prospects that have ever turned out to be anything…except Adam Wainwright. But that was to get J.D. Drew. They had no choice. Acuña, Albies, Riley, Harris, Strider, Kyle Wright just to name a few. All drafted and developed by the Braves. I challenge you to name any team that has had as many farm prospects produce. How about the Mets for starters?
Yeah, they’ve definitely had some successes, but they’ve had their share of busts like all of them. Is their success rate higher than other teams? Maybe, or at least we notice the big ones like acuna, riley, fried. They’re definitely smart at unloading to get some return while there’s still value. Still too early to tell on Harris and Strider – Grissom could be better than both of them. Mets had some good ones in Degrom, Wheeler (even though he started w SF, he developed w/ Mets), Syndergaard before injuries… more recently, Alonso, Nimmo, Mcneil, Conforto (who I wish they still had), but I think the Braves have had more overall recently. If Alvarez and Baty are as good as they look, that evens things out a bit. But again, the current farm is heavily in favor of Mets, which was my original point.
Im gonna guess that they either traded one of D’arnuad or Contreras, and Grisshom
A’s don’t need catchers though. Like, at all.
Dang
I’ll betcha AA has plans to trade some of his catching depth
This is not an insult to As fans, but they just dumped his salary as soon as he hit arbitration and is making more than minimum wages??? This is Astros style cheapness back when they were rebuilding. I agree owners have no obligation to waste their money like the Mets do, but there has to be a salary floor and a salary cap for individual teams.
He was the last player on the team worth much of anything that wouldn’t be around for the next contention window. Those guys you use to restock the farm.
Laureano
As an A’s fan this is an insult to me, we just got rid of our best player.
Irvin and Blackburn still exist.
When your best player leave, another one get’s anointed. Therefor, the A’s will still have a “best player”.
After signing two middle infielders who can’t hit for more money than what Murphy makes…
Exactly, if the A’s are willing to give them a little bit of money, then we should give one of the best catchers in the MLB money. Makes no sense.
Who?
Diaz and Peterson
Liked “salary floor and a salary cap”
Totally agree. John Fisher is the worst owner in all of professional sports
Well, this should indicate the value the Jays are looking at for Kirk or Moreno.
Will Kirk’s or Moreno’s trade value be more because of this trade?
Depends on the return, but yeah, less sellers now.
Sure hope so at first glance of the return
Murphy/Contreras/Pina. 3 catchers traded for each other?
Makes no sense, the A’s go from Murphy to Pina.
He has slightly negative value, which means they may get a bigger prospect return for taking him.
Langliers is the A’s starting catcher.
Pina is a throw in who will be flipped.
Wtf???? Didn’t the braves just say nah no trades we good
This is very odd for a team that typically makes all the right moves. Let’s see the cost here. What in the world was wrong with what they had at catcher already. As we’re asking for the moon for a guy that may not be any better than what they already had.
AA has a plan, one or two catchers are going bye bye
I’m sure. Just saw an early report that Contreras is in the deal. Again, I think WC was similar in talent here. Just strange. Very strange. But I will absolutely say, the Braves typically win the day. Just not seeing how on this one yet. They were arguably better than Philly and NY without a move.
Maybe Murphy’s willing to take an extension and Contreras wasn’t?
Maybe. But it’s a later issue no? He had five years left of control. I just don’t see this making them better. It actually hurts the line up while slightly improving an already sound defense.
lolbraves. They have two all star catchers and they trade a haul for another one
William Contreas got traded to Brewers
Adames to Atlanta and Wilson Contreras to Milwaukee as part of deal
wonder if something else is coming back to MKE too… adames is a pretty steep price to pay for a fringey C… maybe Laureano from OAK?
I’m hearing William Contreras to the brewers? Can someone confirm?
Passan confirmed
I’d be shocked if any catcher is the return and even more shocked if grissom was the return
Not surprised a large market got him. Called it all along.
Not exactly stepping out on a limb with that prediction there. I predict Trea Turner will not sign with Pittsburgh this year.
So who is going bye bye? Is LF a serious possibility for Contreras?
So we know Murphy was traded but not whom he was traded FOR? Cool…
Thanks for the update Darragh I was starting to get a bit ancy…
I’m gonna guess Grissom, Elder, and Tarnok.
A three team trade where a Contreras goes to Milwaukee makes complete sense. Interested to see the other parts. Adames would be a big get for Braves, but seems they’d be better going with Grissom, unless he is going to brewers too?
Be careful what you wish for, Oil Can: Two big gets (Murphy and Adames) would certainly cost a bundle.
What is Oakland getting? Maybe Adames is going West?
Another one bites the dust for my Chicago teams.
Son of a Nutcracker!
Seriously though, Murphy’s Law told me he wouldn’t be wearing Cubbie blue next season.
Braves get Murphy. Brewers get Contreras. A’s get Pina.
There has to be more to it than musical catchers.
Nice! Braves are going to destroy the LOLMets this year. 13-0 record for the Braves against the Mets in 2023.
Sure pal. Sean Murphy outweighs Verlander, Senga, Robertson, Quintana and immediately makes the last year record of 10-9 move to a mic drop 13-0. I see it. There are homers and folks who see the world through rosé colored glasses. You make them look logical.
Braves were already better and are still better.. and like most years will be playing still when the Mets are done..
Cool story. I agree that Atlanta is very good. I think they stopped playing at exactly the same time as the Mets last year. 13-0 he said. I’ll take that bet right now.
Ok first off Senga is nobody lol. More times than not those kinds of players bust out than pan out. 2nd of all sherzer and his dead arm, Verlander and his rebuilt arm, Carrasco (however old he really is) is good on paper but as people see time and time again paper doesn’t win series. Oh and the Mets have had top paper rotations before and it’s got them nowhere lol.
So you think Sean Murphy is better than every Mets acquisition as well huh? 101 wins each last year. Braves are the same team as last year except they are likely losing their SS. Mets replaced 11 starts from deGrom with Verlander, Senga and Quintana for the same amount of dollars total that Jake got from Texas. JV was Cy Young worthy last year with a 1.75 ERA but im sure he just loses it in the offseason. Whatever. Y’all are hilarious. Braves have a great team. This move did nothing to move the needle in any way. If you’re happy, im happy for you. Sean Murphy? Ok
I’ll bet a lot of money senga won’t be a nobody
And carrasco is actually 78 years old
Charlie Morton is 105 in baseball years and looked it last year
Strider already missed time to an oblique throwing max velocity on that little frame
Wright is still very much a question mark until he repeats
Worry about your own staff.
Actually it is Degrom, Walker, and Bassitt for Quintana, Verlander, and Senga.
I didn’t mention Walker and Bassitt for a reason. Walker is a home run machine at CBP that did okay based on a large pitchers park. He had an awful second half in 21 and a bad one in 22. Bassitt, you will watch first hand. Dude is rough on catchers and you got three young ones. Pitch clock coming and he shakes off more than any pitcher I have ever seen. There is zero doubt this Mets rotation is better than last years. So actually, those are my facts.
Braves offense is worse with this deal… Moron
Murphy is a better player than Contreras
Imagine being this excited over Sean Murphy. Good for you man! Pop the champagne!!! Whatever you say. I bet he hits like .235 with under 15 HR this year. I bets WC hits .275 with over 25 bombs. For a few less passed balls that seems like an odd flex
Im not even a Braves fan.. Hes objectively a much better player…. and more proven.
lol Murphy for Pina seems fair
Grissom better be included in this package going to Oakland! If not, I’m absolutely done!
i like marquisse grissom in the 90s too but what value does he have to a 2022 A’s franchise? is he on the atlanta coaching staff?
If it’s a straight up 1 for 1 for 1 deal then the A’s got jacked. Braves didn’t even fill up the soda machine for the year?
No way there isn’t more going to the A’s. Has to be prospects in this deal we aren’t seeing.
National League is going for it this off season.
NL vs NL World Series next season is the only solution.
I hope one of the teams can’t get in touch with a player involved in this trade because he’s vacationing out of the country and we’re waiting to hear the return for a week. That would be terrible.
Manny pina?! Are you Fking kidding me?!
There must be more players involved. The tweet says they are only part of the deal.
That was my reaction as well.
Braves get Murphy, Brewahs get Contreras, A’s get Pina……… seems fair kek.
How is Pena anywhere near what they wanted from Cards? There must be more going to As. Also, seems Braves and Brewers made out like bandits.
Because the deal isnt fully reported yet
It makes no sense.
@wadz, good point. I’ll need to wait to pass judgement
Someone on ATL twitter reporting that Grissom is going to the A’s
Nvm got trolled lol
A’s better get more or they are fools.
There has to be other high end prospects going to A’s
As I wrote a few weeks ago and got laughed at….
The NL East is on it’s way to being the best division in MLB – better than the AL East……and it may be that now.
(Who couldn’t see that coming?)
AL WEST Is a better division than the AL EAST
DUDDUS;
Correct!
I wrote that was happening as well.
The national baseball media is in the northeast. They’re wedded
to the Yankees and Red Sox to start.
When the Orioles win the AL East in the next 2 years they’ll downplay their accomplishment, saying the division has gotten weak.
What Al east team is as bad as the nats? Or even the fish. Come on sammy
NLE is heavier at the top than the ALE. But top to bottom is a different story.
The A’s are total morons. LOL! Fleeced!
They got some very good pitching prospects
Estuary Ruiz? Man the Brewers are just about giving up on the Josh Hader deal completely now.
That guy raked in AAA
hiflew;
They got a trade chip, and have 4 or 5 other quality young OF’s.
Got to give something to get something.
I’m not saying they didn’t do exceptionally well here. To get Contreras AND two relievers for just Ruiz is an Executive of the Year level trade.
So glad the Braves got him. Was worried he was going and up with us in Cleveland. Good job not giving in on prospects.
Contreras is coming off his first full season and is better then Murphy. Braves also gave up prospects and Muller. Brewers are the big winners in this trade.
Wheres this Mets fan imagination that Conteras is better than Murphy coming from?
Contreras has a .100 point higher ops then Murphy. Murphy had a career year and was still that far behind. Close war numbers with Contreras getting almost 200 less plate appearances. Contreras is 24. Murphy wasn’t even in the Majors at that age.
Contreras is not better than Murphy. Atrocious on D, bat fizzled after the all star break. Good, but Murphy is better.
They definitely seem to be. Barring other names included, they just got three players including an AS catcher in exchange for Estuary Ruiz..
Although I also read Adames was involved. Not reported yet though.
Opening day age:
Michael Harris II (22)
Vaughn Grissom (22)
Spencer Strider (24)
Ronald Acuña Jr. (25)
Austin Riley (25)
Mike Soroka (25)
Ozzie Albies (26)
Kyle Wright (27)
Sean Murphy (28)
Matt Olson (29)
Max Fried (29)
Terrifying.
“Firstly”??
It’s a perfectly cromulent word
It’s an adverb. English is fun.
“(Lolly, lolly, lolly….)suppose you’re going nut-gathering.”
Murphy for Pina, Tarnok, and Ruiz?! This is the best you can get?! I’m done!!!
And Kyle Muller
Muller will be a solid starter. Underrated in this trade.
You’ve got to think there is more involved. They asked for three times the value from St. louis, there’s no way the Cards wouldn’t beat that package.
Ok, we got the Braves #1 prospect. It makes it a little better but only a little because he’s still only a 50 grade prospect.
The A’s need a MLB ready 2B, and I thought for sure Vaughn Grissom was going to be included. I’m still very disappointed with this trade.
Braves farm is worn down these days.. Its nice they got Muller but hes still a variable prospect
Ruiz played quite a bit of 2B if I remember correctly from the Hader trade a while back.
I think they got more than Murphy is worth.
He got an MVP vote (point)…?
Kyle Muller is definitely a under the radar player he is good.
Under the radar? He’s one of the Braves’ top prospects.
The Braves have a horrible current farm system. That’s not saying much.
Horrible farm system? Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider…rookie and co-rookies of the year. Ever hear of em’? The Mets would kill to have two impact rookies like this. Yeah, horrible farm system… You gotta be trolling cause you can’t be as dumb as you sound.
I believe the phrase was “current farm system” – you wanted to get outraged so quickly that you chose to ignore that…or you’re severely lacking in reading comprehension. Neither Harris or Strider are a part of the farm system.
Are they in their farm system?
Kyle Muller. likely going to A’s. Really sorry to see him go. He and Contreras are cheap and have a lot of potential. Honestly don’t see what the braves get out of this deal….we had 2 good catchers….now we have 2 good catchers, with less HR potential.
Seems like the Brewers are the winners of this trade. But I don’t know enough about the prospects to assess the A’s return.
billw-2;
Catcher’s aren’t paid to hit HR’s, they’re paid to handle a pitching staff. call a game and play D. Any hittig is a bonus.
D’Arnaud is a below average defensive catcher and doesn’t call the best game. He can still DH and plays some back-up C. Teh Braves pitching staff is going to be much better in 2023.
Billy Beane is stealing money.
Beane doesn’t do much in the front office anymore, it’s David Forst’s show now.
Oh Billy Beane is involved you ought to believe that… He will always be an baseball operations
department wizard…
What’s up with Travis?
Nothing – he’s not the long-term C. Murphy would be an upgrade defensively, while calling a better game and should make d’Arnaud more productive by staying healthier and filling DH duty more. They found their C of the future (through 2026) that they were hoping either Langeliers/Contreras would be – though both still have questions. They used them to get their legitimate upgrade both present and future. Trading Piña also frees up $4.5M in 2023, along with the roster spot, of course.
How does he call a better game? The A’s pitchers got lit up and Braves had career years. Where does him calling a better game come from?
There was a huge talent disparity between the garbage the A’s put on the field and what the Braves had pitching for them.
So you are saying that it’s really just an opinion that really can’t be validated one way or the other.
you’re intentionally being obtuse. Also, recency bias much? Either that or I just learned that Murphy has only caught one season in MLB.
Wow. I’m shocked the Braves would do this
Why? Contreras is the much better talent and catcher both offensively and defensively
On top of it they throw in Muller, a spot starter with options and a prospect
I’m not complaining as a Mets fan, but it seems to me a huge downgrade offensively plus they lose a very valuable depth piece in Muller. Seeing Murphy instead of Contreras in the lineup is what I would prefer as a Mets fan
Someone inform me what I’m missing. Contreras is one of the top young players in the game. I realize Murphy is a very good hitter. Doesn’t chase much, hits for power, works counts. But I’d rather have the power threat from Contreras
Plus Contreras is the more durable catcher and can probably play more
The only thing Contreras does better than Murphy is hit for power.. and its a small sample.. Murphy is one of the best all around catchers in baseball and is an elite defender..
Contreras already put up a .860 OPS at age 24
Not knocking Murphy because he’s a very good hitter, but the Braves downgraded substantially at catcher. Contreras is projected to be at least a top 3 offensive catcher in the league
And I’d rather have Contreras stronger defense also
Theres alot more to catching than offense.. Contreras rated negatively on defense.. and Murphy is elite defensively.. its a big deal… Murphys power numbers will likely pick up in ATL also.
Agreed. Everyone is exited because Murphy’s name has been thrown around for a year but Contreras has more value.
Saying water isnt wet repeatedly doesn’t make it so m8
@wadz there’s more to defense than the analytics will show…it’s like the Nick Ahmed is better than Derek Jeter at SS debate…
Murphy is better from an analytics perspective but Contreras is potentially better defensively
I’d rather have a catcher with better physical tools instead of a technical catcher like Lucroy or Murphy that analytics favor
You want the stronger guys out there. The Braves got weaker at catcher
Mets69…not even in question
Contreras is potentially a main .900+ ops core piece. Murphy is nowhere near that
Contreras probably will win multiple silver slugger awards at catcher and multiple all-star appearances
He rated negatively but Brave pitchers all had outstanding seasons. I think the catcher defensive ratings are a bit skewed.
@Camden: You’re wrong on both counts here. Contreras doesn’t have “stronger defense.” Where in the world did you get that idea? He’s barely playable behind the plate. Poor framing, tons of passed balls, Braves are so disgusted w/his pitch calling they had to deal him or risk a mutiny from the pitching staff. Btw—he can’t hit a slider or curveball to save his life. He’s not going to keep hitting waiting on fastballs and changeups for much longer. League’s got him figured out. W/out big adjustments to his pitch selection, his bat’s going to fall off the table.
Not saying that Contreras won’t be a better hitter than Murphy, but swap them in their respective lineups and see what happens. The Braves have a really strong lineup and the opposition isn’t pitching around Contreras. I don’t see Murphy putting up the power numbers that Contreras did this past year (not that I see Contreras repeating, but won’t rule it out either), but he’ll be a much more difficult out when push comes to shove and you just need a guy to get on base.
I love how brave fans love their young talent then when they get traded say how horrible they really were.
I want replying to you but was replying to Nashville but that was a nice jump to conclusion remark when you jumped to conclusions.
What, because one person disagrees with your assessment ALL BRAVES FANS think that a player is horrible now that they’re no longer a Brave? Nice assumption and conclusion you arrived at. Fans can like a player and still objectively point out flaws they have. Not everyone has to be an ultimate homer like ALL METS FANS – see what I did there? (btw I’m not a Braves fan and I’m just yanking your chain about homerism). This is a message board that should be enjoyed around a shared interest in a sport – you just seem to be angry that not everyone agrees with you. Take a breather.