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Report: Padres, Rays interested in acquiring Sean Murphy
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Braves have plenty to sell at the trade deadline, including several All-Stars, most notably Sean Murphy.

However, Alex Anthopoulos has been adamant that he won’t trade any player with multiple years of control, and a report from Robert Murray reiterated that notion today. Still, that hasn’t stopped interested teams from calling.

According to Jim Bowden, several clubs, including the Padres and Rays, would like to pry Sean Murphy from the Braves.

Sean Murphy might be the most valuable trade chip the Braves have, outside of Chris Sale. He’s firmly a top 10 catcher and under team control for a half decade at a very palatable rate. Catchers who are plus defenders and plus hitters on this kind of contract don’t grow on trees.

It’s quite obvious why other clubs are calling, and the Braves probably should at least listen. With Drake Baldwin breaking out, it makes moving Murphy that much easier. Of course, there’s reason to keep both as one could DH next year while the other catches, and the sample size on Baldwin is small compared to Murphy’s.

On another note, the Braves have holes to fill, and if a Sean Murphy trade could net a long-term answer at shortstop, Alex Anthopoulos would have to think about it, right?

Well, it just so happens that San Diego and Tampa Bay have prospects that could intrigue the Braves — Leo De Vries and Carson Williams, respectively. Of course, they might be hesitant to part ways with those cats.

Anthopoulos might not want to trade away any players with multiple years of control, but to not even consider offers is malpractice.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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