ESPN’s biggest Braves mistake since 2020 is obvious

While Braves fans are rightfully perturbed with Alex Anthopoulos taking his sweet time this offseason, Atlanta’s GM generally deserves the benefit of the doubt.

He’s proven to be one of the very best in the business. Since 2018, the Braves own the third-best record in baseball, six NL East titles, two MVPs, a Cy Young, two Rookies of the Year, and a World Series. I’d say Alex Anthopoulos is doing a pretty damn good job.

But like every executive, he’s not infallable. Anthopoulos makes mistakes, and one, in particular, is especially egregious. Yes, watching Freddie Freeman sign with the Dodgers hurt, even more when you consider it was over minor differences at the negotiating table. However, there’s one that stands out even more.

As David Schoenfield of ESPN notes, the worst mistake the Braves have made since 2020 was trading William Contreras to the Brewers.

“No organization has made more important positive moves this decade than the Braves, from drafting Spencer Strider in the fourth round to locking up their young players to long-term deals to acquiring Chris Sale from the Red Sox. You could argue they messed up the Freddie Freeman negotiations when he became a free agent, but they moved quickly in trading for Matt Olson and signing him to an eight-year extension. For Atlanta’s biggest mistake, let’s go with the Contreras trade, part of a three-team transaction with the Brewers and A’s.”

It didn’t make sense at the time. Wild Bill was coming off the first All-Star campaign of his career, in which he slashed .278/.354/.506 with 20 home runs, 14 doubles, and 45 RBIs — good for a 136 OPS+ (36% above league average). He formed the best catching duo in baseball with Travis d’Arnaud, and Contreras looked to be at the center of the Braves future. However, a report from Mark Bowman of MLB.com revealed that Contreras’ work  behind the dish was the primary factor in the trade.

“The William Contreras trade that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta feels like a big miss. But some pitchers didn’t want to throw to Contreras and Murphy still has time to prove he can be the catcher the Braves envisioned,” Bowman wrote.

Now, it looks even worse. Unlike the Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson dynamic, where each is performing at an All-Star level with their respective clubs, Sean Murphy has struggled for the better part of a year and a half, and William Contreras is making a case for the best catcher in baseball. Murphy had arguably the worst year of his career last season, finishing with a batting average below the Mendoza Line, 10 homers, and a career-low .636 OPS.

After posting an .831 OPS and 17 home runs in his first year with the Brewers, Contreras improved upon that impressive production, setting career highs in a number of metrics. Wild Bill hit .281 with a .365 on-base percentage and .831 OPS. He hit 23 home runs, scored 99 runs, and drove in 92 runs — all career-highs.

Contreras led all National League catchers in homers, runs, RBI, average and OPS. Since 2022, he leads all MLB catchers in average, OPS, runs, and WAR, while only second to Will Smith in RBI and homers.

Sean Murphy’s story is not done being written, so the pendulum could swing back to the middle. But right now, it’s the worst move of Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure as Braves general manager.

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Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire