A masterclass courtesy of Chris Sale and Raisel Iglesias helped the Braves to a 1-0 win over the Giants last night, but most of the second half of the season has been a difficult watch. Perhaps the worst of it came early last week, when Atlanta was swept at home by Milwaukee in a series that saw them outscored by more than 20 runs.
It was a miserable experience for Braves Country, and it brought up a trade that will continually be questioned so long as trends continue. The deal I’m talking about is the three-team trade that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta and sent William Contreras to Milwaukee.
Here’s a recap:
- Braves get: C Sean Murphy
- Athletics get: LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Freddy Tarnok, RHP Royber Salinas, C Manny Piña, OF Esteury Ruiz (from Brewers)
- Brewers get: C William Contreras, RHP Joel Payamps, RHP Justin Yeager
Somehow, the Brewers came away with Wild Bill Contreras and only gave up Esteury Ruiz, which is just the Athletics being the Athletics. The Braves received Sean Murphy, the centerpiece of the entire trade at the time.
Contreras came out of the gates with the Brewers on fire, hitting .289 at the plate with 17 home runs, good for an .825 OPS while playing very good defense behind the dish last season. The Braves targeted Murphy because of his ability to call a game and his elite defense, but Contreras ended up dramatically improving in that area following the move.
Though he’s regressed defensively this season, Contreras is still one of the best catchers in baseball, boasting a .286/.359/.457 slash line and a 126 OPS+. Meanwhile, the Braves have been without Sean Murphy for much of the season due to an oblique injury, and when he has been healthy, he’s barely been a replacement level player, recording an unsightly 91 OPS+.
Even more frustrating has been the way the Braves have utilized Sean Murphy. He’s always been a player that has produced better results when playing nearly everyday. With Travis d’Arnaud in the fold, Murphy has never been an everyday fixture in the lineup since joining the Braves, and it’s even become more like a 50/50 split as the season continues.
From a contractual perspective, the Braves are also paying Sean Murphy a lot more than the Brewers are paying William Contreras. Murphy could always turn things around next season and beyond, but there’s no way to get around the fact that Contreras has been the significantly better player since the trade, and the Braves didn’t need to give up a slew of top prospects to acquire him.
It was a weird deal when it happened, considering Contreras was already an All-Star with the Braves before the trade, and it’s only looking worse as time goes on.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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