Braves land star catcher Sean Murphy in 3-team trade

Update – 4:21 p.m. ET: Passan has obtained the full details of the trade:

Full trade, per ESPN sources:

Atlanta gets: C Sean Murphy

Oakland gets: LHP Kyle Muller, UT Esteury Ruiz, RHP Freddy Tarnok, RHP Royber Salinas, C Manny Piña

Milwaukee gets: C William Contreras, RHP Justin Yeager, RHP Joel Payamps

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 12, 2022

Original Story

The Philadelphia Phillies, by just about any metric, employ the best catcher in baseball in J.T. Realmuto. But the division-rival Atlanta Braves now have perhaps the next best thing after completing a major trade Monday.

As part of a three-team trade that also included the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers, the Braves have acquired catcher Sean Murphy from the A’s.

Murphy is a former Gold Glove Award winner, who is second to only Realmuto in WAR among qualified catchers since the start of the 2020 season. He’s also under team control through the 2025 season.

William Contreras — the younger brother of Willson — has been traded by the Braves to the Brewers as part of the deal. Contreras, 24, was an All-Star in 2022, slashing .278/.354/.506 with 20 home runs, 45 RBIs and an .860 OPS in 97 games. He’s a natural catcher, but also someone, like his older brother, that can DH as well.

ESPN‘s Jeff Passan and Jomboy Media‘s Talkin’ Jake were the first to report on the trade.

Here are some of the other names involved in the trade:

• Veteran catcher Manny Piña has been dealt to the A’s, per Passan.
• LHP Kyle Muller — a second round pick by the Braves in 2016 — is heading to the A’s, ESPN‘s Kiley McDaniel reports.
• RHP Freddy Tarnok, the No. 6 prospect for Atlanta, has been traded to the A’s, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Additionally, Murray hears that 23-year-old outfielder Esteury Ruiz is headed from Milwaukee to Oakland.
• Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that RHP Joel Payamps is going from Oakland to Milwaukee, and RHP Justin Yeager is going from Atlanta to Milwaukee.

MORE FROM PHILLIES NATION

1. The Top 10 Phillies Home Runs At Citizens Bank Park
2. Rob Thomson Talks High Expectations, Lineup Construction After Trea Turner Signing
3. Cole Hamels: ‘A Spring Training Invite Is No Risk, All Reward’
4. After Nimmo/Bellinger Deals, Brandon Marsh Trade Looks Even Smarter
5. Revealed: Full Contract Details/Incentives For Trea Turner
6. Phillies Playoff Success, Atmosphere Helped Sway Trea Turner To Philadelphia
7. How High Is The Phillies Payroll Slated To Be In 2023?
8. The Top 5 Moments Of Jean Segura’s Phillies Career
9. Random 2022 Phillies Who Will Probably Receive National Championship Rings
10. What Went Wrong For Nick Castellanos During First Season With The Phillies?