A's trade Murphy to Braves in 3-team deal involving Brewers
The Oakland Athletics traded catcher Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves in a three-team deal that also involved the Milwaukee Brewers, the teams announced Monday.
Atlanta sent catcher/designated hitter William Contreras to the Brewers, and four players, including catcher Manny Pina, to the A's.
Here's the full breakdown of the nine-player trade:
| A's | Brewers | Braves |
|---|---|---|
| C Manny Pina | C William Contreras | C Sean Murphy |
| SP Kyle Muller | RP Joel Payamps | |
| SP Freddy Tarnok | RP Justin Yeager | |
| OF Esteury Ruiz | ||
| SP Royber Salinas |
Murphy, 28, hit .250/.332/.426 with 18 home runs, 37 doubles, and 66 RBIs in 148 games for the A's last season. The one-time Gold Glove winner is entering his first year of arbitration and is projected to earn $3.5 million next year, per MLB Trade Rumors.
He joins a Braves roster that already includes All-Star backstop Travis d'Arnaud. General manager Alex Anthopoulos said that the team plans to have Murphy and d'Arnaud split time between catcher and DH, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic.
This is the second consecutive offseason the A's traded a core player to the Braves. Oakland dealt first baseman Matt Olson to Atlanta for four players last March.
Contreras started in the All-Star Game last season as the NL's designated hitter. The 24-year-old, whose brother is St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, hit .278/.354/.506 with 20 homers and 45 RBIs in 97 games last season.
Pina, 35, only appeared in five games last campaign before sustaining a season-ending wrist injury. The nine-year veteran will earn $4.5 million in 2023 and is now the A's third-highest-paid player.
Muller was the Braves' top prospect prior to the trade, as ranked by MLB.com. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut in 2021 and pitched in 12 games for Atlanta over the last two seasons. In 2022, he posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 159 strikeouts across 23 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Tarnok, 24, made his first big-league appearance for Atlanta on Aug. 17. The Braves' No. 6 prospect posted a cumulative 4.05 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 124 strikeouts across 25 appearances (23 starts) split between Double-A Mississippi, Triple-A Gwinnett, and the majors.
Salinas, Atlanta's No. 18 prospect, split his 2022 between Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome. In 25 total starts between the two levels, the 21-year-old posted a 3.55 ERA and 1.24 WHIP while averaging over 14 strikeouts per nine innings.
Ruiz, the lone player heading from Milwaukee to Oakland, was part of the Brewers' return for Josh Hader in August. The 23-year-old went 6-for-36 in 17 total big-league appearances with the Brewers and San Diego Padres last year. He spent the majority of his season at Triple-A.
Yeager, 24, put up a 3.10 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with nine saves in 52 1/3 innings last year, split between High-A and Double-A. The former 33rd-round pick out of Southern Illinois has never started as a professional.
Payamps, 28, owns a lifetime 3.35 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across parts of four big-league seasons with four teams. He pitched for both the A's and the Kansas City Royals last year.