Braves traded away two catchers better than Sean Murphy

One of the most peculiar moves of Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure was the blockbuster three team trade that netted the Brewers William Contreras and the Braves Sean Murphy.

At the time, “Wild Bill” only had a couple of years in the league, but he was already an All-Star, recording an .860 OPS over 97 games in 2022. The reasoning behind it, the Braves have since revealed, is because pitchers didn’t necessarily love throwing to Contreras, which is the best part of Murphy’s game. He’s elite defensively behind the plate and just as good at calling games.

The problem? Contreras has improved significantly in that area since joining the Brewers, all while continuing to produce offensively at an elite level. Since the trade, Contreras has accumulated 15.0 fWAR — second among all catchers, behind only Cal Raleigh, who’s currently on track to win the AL MVP — while Murphy has produced just 7.8 fWAR over the same span.

There’s really no way to spin this one as a win for Atlanta. It was a disastrous decision, especially considering the Braves also shipped three pitching prospects to the A’s in the deal. Sean Murphy hasn’t hit over the Mendoza Line in either of the last two seasons, and various injuries have made his health a constant concern.

And Contreras isn’t the only elite catcher the Braves have traded away. When Atlanta pivoted from Freddie Freeman to Matt Olson, they sent a massive prospect package to Oakland. Most of those prospects fizzled, but Shea Langeliers has emerged as a legitimate big-league catcher. Now 27 years old, Langeliers is enjoying a breakout campaign — hitting .266 with 30 home runs and an .860 OPS, all figures Murphy has never reached in his career.

With Drake Baldwin also rising through the farm system, the Braves have now developed three catchers in the past five years who look to be more productive than Murphy. The good news? Atlanta clearly knows how to develop talent at the position. The bad news? They never should have made the Murphy trade — let alone signed him to a long-term extension.

Hopefully, the next time the Braves think about trading a catcher, it’s Sean Murphy headed out of town, not his replacement.

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