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Giants, Athletics Discussed Offseason Trade Involving Sean Murphy, Marco Luciano

By Mark Polishuk | October 13, 2023 at 10:54pm CDT

The Giants and Athletics usually don’t combine for many trades, but the two Bay Area rivals got deep into talks about a possible blockbuster last winter, according to Tim Kawakami and Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.  Kawakami reported back in July that the two teams “apparently were closing in on a deal” that would’ve involved Sean Murphy heading to the Giants, and star shortstop prospect Marco Luciano going to the A’s.  In a piece today, Baggarly reports that San Francisco was willing to move Luciano, but talks fell apart when the Athletics asked for pitching prospect Kyle Harrison as part of the deal.

The specifics of the trade proposal or any other players involved isn’t known, nor is it known if the A’s wanted Harrison instead of Luciano as the centerpiece of a trade package, or wanted both Harrison and Luciano in the deal.  The former scenario seems likelier, as the Giants probably would’ve walked away a lot earlier had Oakland demanded both of San Francisco’s top prospects.

Oakland instead dealt Murphy as part of one of the offseason’s biggest trades — a three-team, nine-player deal between the A’s, Braves, and Brewers that saw Murphy go to Atlanta and William Contreras to Milwaukee.  Murphy lived up to expectations in his first year in Atlanta, making the All-Star team and hitting .251/.365/.478 with 21 homers over 438 plate appearances.  The Brewers were also big winners in the trade, since not only did Contreras shine offensively while making big strides with his glovework, reliever Joel Payamps suddenly emerged as a top-tier setup man.  The A’s bought some new young talent on board in their latest rebuild, most prominently the addition of American League stolen base leader Esteury Ruiz.

Beyond the incredible speed, however, Ruiz’s overall offensive profile is still a little shaky, making him less than a true cornerstone piece for the Athletics.  Some criticism has been leveled at the A’s front office for their returns on the trades of Murphy, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, and others during this latest fire sale, with the most common argument being that the Athletics seemed to aim for quantity over true top-drawer quality.  Though we don’t know the exact nature of the deal the A’s and Giants were proposing, the inclusion of Luciano (or Harrison) would’ve brought one clear-cut top prospect to Oakland’s organization.

The three-team trade had such an immediate impact on the 2023 season that it would’ve created quite the ripple effect had Murphy instead ended up in San Francisco.  It can be argued that the Brewers might not have won the NL Central without Contreras carrying an otherwise shaky lineup, or without Payamps combining with closer Devin Williams to form a lockdown combo at the end of games.  Without those pieces in place, maybe the door is open for the Cubs or Reds to win the NL Central instead.

The Braves’ stacked lineup perhaps might not have missed a beat with Contreras instead of Murphy behind the plate, and Atlanta’s pursuit of Murphy was considered something of a surprise whatsoever since Contreras and Travis d’Arnaud were already in the fold.  That said, the Braves obviously felt they were getting an upgrade over the long term, considering they liked Murphy enough to almost immediately sign him to a six-year extension soon after the trade.  Such an extension might not have been on the table for Contreras.  While the Braves have a penchant for locking up their players, the fact that they dealt Contreras indicates some level of reservation, even if it might’ve been ultimately more a case of Atlanta particularly liking Murphy more than “disliking” Contreras, per se.

By that same dint, the Giants’ apparent willingness to move Luciano shouldn’t be an indication that the Giants are somehow down on the young shortstop.  In fact, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is heading into 2024 aiming to give Luciano at least “the chance“ to be the starting shortstop, underlining the 22-year-old Luciano’s importance to the organization as a building block.  Pundits have considered Luciano has been regarded as at least a top-37 prospect in each of the last four seasons, and he only just made his MLB debut this season, making 45 plate appearances in 14 games.

Dealing away a blue chip prospect like Luciano likely wouldn’t have been a possibility for the Giants at all if a unique trade opportunity (i.e. a controllable high-level catcher like Murphy) hadn’t been available.  The exact timing of the talks with the Athletics were also probably a factor, as the Giants might’ve been more willing to move Luciano if they’d thought Carlos Correa was joining the roster, yet Correa’s 13-year, $350MM agreement with San Francisco ended up falling through due to medical concerns on the Giants’ end.

Had the Giants acquired Murphy, they would’ve landed the signature star they were searching for without success last winter, after the Correa deal collapsed and after Aaron Judge re-signed with the Yankees.  Perhaps adding Murphy might’ve been the spark San Francisco needed to get over the line in the wild card race, as in this alternate reality, the Giants have both Murphy and perhaps another MLB-caliber regular they received in a Patrick Bailey trade.  It is fair to wonder whether Bailey would’ve been shipped out in a world where Murphy is a Giant, instead of our world where Bailey emerged as a rookie and now looks like he’ll be San Francisco’s catcher of the present and future.

It makes for a fun cascade of what-if scenarios, and Bailey’s potential availability then stretches the web beyond just what might’ve happened with the Giants, A’s, Brewers, and Braves.  San Francisco fans may rue missing out on Murphy, though if Bailey continues to develop and Luciano lives up to the hype, the team might end up coming out ahead.

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Atlanta Braves Milwaukee Brewers Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants Kyle Harrison Marco Luciano Patrick Bailey Sean Murphy William Contreras

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View Comments (40)
Post a Comment

40 Comments

  1. zacharydmanprin

    2 years ago

    David Forst is a terrible GM.

    7
    Reply
    • pohle

      2 years ago

      very few defensible moves

      1
      Reply
  2. gfan

    2 years ago

    Kinda hoping this was the best trade that never happened.
    I like Bailey and Luciano at this point in their development. Hopefully they can produce long term results.

    3
    Reply
    • stymeedone

      2 years ago

      It was probably based on Correa signing. I’m sure you would have been disappointed in having a healthy Correa and Sean Murphy in the Giants lineup. Alas, he wasn’t healthy.

      Reply
  3. JayRyder

    2 years ago

    Yay ! The Giants had a deal they didn’t do. Great News !

    1
    Reply
  4. amk1920

    2 years ago

    So the A’s could’ve got a real prospect in Luciano and end up with spare parts. Ruiz has all the speed in the world but he’s a terrible hitter so provides no real value. Just like when they traded Matt Chapman for a bunch of AAAA players

    4
    Reply
    • In Seager/Hader We Trust > the 70 MM DH Ohtani

      2 years ago

      It’s not like Luciano is putting up good numbers, though. Ruiz was pretty good at stealing bases.

      Reply
      • cr4

        2 years ago

        Marco has been one of the premier prospects in the game and he was coming off injury. I’d much pefer the upside with Luciano than Esteury

        4
        Reply
    • LordD99

      2 years ago

      I think 2023 will be Ruiz’s best season, and it wasn’t great outside the SBs. He’ll trend down from here. Can’t hit.

      Reply
  5. Tankathon

    2 years ago

    What on earth has Baily done to make it so sure he is anything? Wow .8 WAR .233/.289/.359 OPS+ of 77, so he is significantly worse than the averaye hitter. Add in some real middling minor league numbers, and there is a real stud. Good thing they didn’t get Murphy.

    Reply
    • Balk

      2 years ago

      Baileys first year was a pretty good one. Early part of season he was hitting, but toward the end he was burnt. Wasn’t seasoned for it. His glove was great though. Good pop time. Threw out a good percentage of runners.

      5
      Reply
    • sportznut1000

      2 years ago

      After 1 year, he might be the best defensive catcher in baseball and yet you only bring up his offensive numbers to show his worth?

      2
      Reply
      • stymeedone

        2 years ago

        Defense doesn’t count in fantasy leagues.

        Reply
    • Pete'sView

      2 years ago

      MetaX — You watch bailey everyday and you’ll get a better idea of how good he’s going to be.

      2
      Reply
    • claude raymond

      2 years ago

      Murphys 3rd year, .217, 17 hr. Check back in 2 more years meta

      Reply
      • claude raymond

        2 years ago

        And in year 2, Murphy 7 hr, .233. Bailey same numbers in first year

        1
        Reply
    • ForeverGiantsFan

      2 years ago

      He is excellent in throwing out base stealers. His value is his defense not his offense.

      Reply
      • Pete'sView

        2 years ago

        ForeverGiantsFan — AND he will hit a little, just be patient.

        Reply
  6. GMoney2850

    2 years ago

    So now Luciano is a real prospect lol? Last week in this comment section I was told he Kd far too much to ever have a chance to stick in the bigs

    Reply
  7. claude raymond

    2 years ago

    Seriously, Mr Polishuk? Signature star. Murphy is good but signature star as in Judge? Correa? Signature star??? When the As traded him, I don’t remember ANY talk of the trade being huge. It was a good trade to be sure, but if he was a Signature star there would have been a huge reaction. There wasn’t. wow.

    4
    Reply
    • gfan

      2 years ago

      Ya I’m not seeing any numbers from Murphy to support that title either.

      Reply
    • gluedogg

      2 years ago

      I thought the same thing. If Sean Murphy is the “signature star” of your team then the Giants still would have finished around .500. I’d rather have a younger Patrick Bailey and his upside.

      2
      Reply
    • gbs42

      2 years ago

      I remember lots of talk about the Murphy trade being huge, though whether he’s a “Signature star” is debatable.

      2
      Reply
    • stymeedone

      2 years ago

      A top C prospect being traded is a big thing. Murphy and Moreno were both stunning trades. Catcher is one of the weakest positions in the majors, and trading a controllable C is a huge decision. If you were not impressed by the moves, that’s on you. I see the hoopla over the Mets acquiring the younger Acuna, but he’s not the level of either Murphy or Moreno.

      1
      Reply
      • claude raymond

        2 years ago

        Same level as Judge, Stymee. Murphydeal was same level. On me? Man, you got me. .

        Reply
  8. SFBay314

    2 years ago

    Joke’s on them. Patrick Bailey is the real deal.

    5
    Reply
  9. Jake Biggar

    2 years ago

    Let’s just take a second to realize the A’s traded/let go of an infield on Olson, Murphy, Chapman and Semien for what has amounted to almost nothing. I’m sure there are exceptions and stuff but an interesting case study for why quantity over quality prospects does not seem to work out very well typically

    4
    Reply
    • zacharydmanprin

      2 years ago

      The A’s actually made offers to Semien (he wouldn’t move to 2B), Olson and Chapman. Semien is defensable – look at the data. He had on season in 2019 where he was above average. The rest of his time in Oakland he was a below average hitter. Then he went to Toronto and Texas (hitter’s parks) and moved from SS to 2B.

      Reply
  10. GarryHarris

    2 years ago

    If the Braves didn’t make the trade, would Ruiz be the Braves LF now?

    1
    Reply
    • Hemlock

      2 years ago

      No, Ruiz was on Milwaukee
      Ruiz for Contreras for Murphy
      See below

      December 12, 2022: Sean Murphy traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Oakland Athletics to the Atlanta Braves. The Oakland Athletics sent Joel Payamps to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Atlanta Braves sent Royber Salinas (minors), Kyle Muller, Manny Piña and Freddy Tarnok to the Oakland Athletics. The Atlanta Braves sent Justin Yeager (minors) and William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Esteury Ruiz to the Oakland Athletics.

      1
      Reply
      • GarryHarris

        2 years ago

        OK Thanks. I should’ve fact checked. My memory failed me.
        Oakland got almost NOTHING. Those MiLB prospects aren’t very good.

        1
        Reply
    • GarryHarris

      2 years ago

      And would the Braves be an even better team with William Contreras and Esteury Ruiz in their lineups? Sean Murphy is a better C than Contreras but the slight improvement is diluted by the Travis d’Arnold platoon. The LF platoon of Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar is excellent but, Ruiz adds more speed and fills in CF.

      1
      Reply
      • Hemlock

        2 years ago

        Gary,
        Ruiz was on Milwaukee.
        They traded Contreras for Ruiz and then Ruiz to Oakland. They couldn’t have kept both Contreras and Ruiz. Somehow, I don’t think Milwaukee would have gotten fleeced like Oakland did and taken the MiLB players you mentioned solely for Ruiz.

        I like adding a high-OBP quick CF to the top of Atlanta’s lineup but I don’t know of any of those types available in MLB. Baltimore drafted one this year— Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt. I doubt he’s available. I might trade Max Fried for him, that’s how highly I think of Enrique. Doubt either team makes that trade.

        2
        Reply
        • Hemlock

          2 years ago

          Ruiz has raw skills. Fast but doesn’t get on base enough. Not a patient hitter yet. He may never be. Almost no walks, which is a huge flaw in his approach for someone with his speed. Bunt the ball, chop it all over the infield, work the count, foul balls off, GET ON BASE. That should be his game. His approach to hitting really puzzles me.

          Esteury Ruiz, 2023–
          497 PA
          TWENTY (20) walks !!
          99 K

          1
          Reply
        • GarryHarris

          2 years ago

          I’m having trouble recalling a player Esteury Ruiz reminds me of. He’s like all the runners Charley O loved to use on the 1970s A’s. Allen Lewis, Herb Washington, Larry Lintz, Don Hopkins, Matt Alexander, Miguel Dilone. Some could score runs and some couldn’t. Part of that is the A’s offense isn’t efficient but looking at Ruiz scoring numbers makes you think you’re looking at the numbers of a plodding catcher.

          1
          Reply
        • ellisd19830

          2 years ago

          Juan pierre

          Reply
        • GarryHarris

          2 years ago

          Juan Pierre didn’t walk but he didn’t strike out much either and he was good for 200 hits.

          Ralph Garr didn’t score as much as I thought he should’ve but he hit well.

          Matty Alou was the only player I remember that in spite of his ability to hit, wasn’t considered important to a team. He wasn’t good on bases or in the field.

          Otis Nixon…

          2
          Reply
  11. Non Roster Invitee

    2 years ago

    Reminds me of Billy Hamilton (not the Hall of Fame r!).
    Also ,Jonah Heim was on the A’s in 2020.
    What a team they would have had!

    1
    Reply
  12. JoeBrady

    2 years ago

    nor is it known if the A’s wanted Harrison instead of Luciano as the centerpiece of a trade package, or wanted both Harrison and Luciano in the deal.
    ========================
    This kind of ruins the article. If it not known whether they wanted one or both, then speculation is rather useless. It’s like a 2-1 sneaker sale and not knowing if you are getting one pair or both pairs for $129.

    Reply
  13. Mercenary.Freddie.Freeman

    2 years ago

    Rumor was Contreras wouldn’t sign a extension so Braves moved on. His brother probably told him not too.

    Reply

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