Tipsheet: A's settle for questionable trade package for catcher Sean Murphy
The Oakland A’s were trying to hold up the Cardinals in their trade demands for catcher Sean Murphy.
The A's worked a three-way trade with Atlanta and Milwaukee. They got Esteury Ruiz from the Brewers, Manny Pina from Atlanta, Freddy Tarnok, Royber Salinas and Kyle Muller from Braves and Joel Payamps from Brewers. William Contreras, Willson's younger brother, was sent to Atlanta along with minor-league reliever Justin Yeager. Toronto Blue Jays signed Chris Bassitt to a $63 million contract. The Cardinals wanted to sign Willon Contresras but instead signed free-agent Willan.
Sean Murphy was traded to Oakland for catcher Ruiz. Ruis is a talented player but his on-base and walk rate are still concerning. The Braves are happy to have Murphy. 329/.402/.459 slash line at Nashville. He has an average exit velocity of 73 mph. They traded away three of their top 10 prospects plus Contreras. It's hard to fault anything the Braves have done the past couple of seasons. Travis d'Arnaud is free agent after 2023. Braves believe Murphy will provide a major defensive upgrade. David Schoenfield, ESPN.com, thinks they look like winners here.
