The hot stove is blistering since the Winter Meetings. We’ve seen several key free agents sign massive contracts, and there have been plenty of other rumors surrounding the players currently on the market. At the time of this writing, it no longer feels like the Braves are the frontrunners to retain Dansby Swanson. According to reports, there has been very little communication between the two sides, and there are plenty of other teams interested — namely, the Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, and Cardinals, all teams with plenty of money at their disposal.
I don’t see the Braves retaining Swanson anymore, but Alex Anthopoulos is upgrading the roster in other ways. Talkin’ Jake from Jomboy Media provided us with a rumor not even an hour ago, and it’s already come to fruition. According to Jeff Passan, the Braves have acquired catcher Sean Murphy from the Athletics.
THE TEAMS HAVE BEEN NAMED
BRAVES
BREWERS
ATHLETICSNow the final question – WHO?? https://t.co/uOAmUJ9Gqq
— Talkin’ Jake (@TalkinJake) December 12, 2022
BREAKING: Catcher Sean Murphy has been traded to the Atlanta Braves, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 12, 2022
Atlanta has been linked to Sean Murphy for a while now. Although, I always thought it was a long shot that a deal actually occurred between the two sides, given the Braves depth at the position already. Willam Contreras and Travis d’Arnaud were both named to the NL All-Star team this year, and Manny Piña is also set to return after missing most of last season with a wrist injury.
With that being said, Murphy is an absolute stud behind the plate, accruing 5.1 fWAR over 148 games last year. He will be the Braves primary starting catcher next year, which means a lot of things are going to be shuffled around. We will know more once the players the Braves traded away are announced, but I would expect Contreras to be apart of the package in some fashion.
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Photo: Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire
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