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Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have had a solid offseason to this point. With about a month left until Spring Training, Atlanta may be done in terms of signing meaningful players, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put themselves in a better position as an organization.
The catcher position has been a weak spot for the Tampa Bay Rays for a long time, and a recent report by Ken Rosenthal indicates they made a run at signing J.T. Realmuto and might be in the market for acquiring a serviceable backstop. Tampa Bay loves making trades, so could the Braves be active in their next big addition by offloading catcher Sean Murphy?
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Braves Trade Idea Offloads Sean Murphy
Sean Murphy comes with a six-year, $73 million contract that he signed back in 2023, which has a few years remaining.
In this trade pitch, the Atlanta Braves acquire Griffin Jax and prospect Michael Forret in exchange for Sean Murphy. One thing about a potential deal like this, however, is that the Braves might have to eat a big chunk of Murphy’s remaining contract to get the Rays to agree to a trade.
But in terms of fit and need, this would be a good deal for both sides. Atlanta has made Murphy publicly available, but with Drake Baldwin’s emergence and Murphy having an injury-riddled season, the Braves might want to get rid of some of that contract.
What the Rays really need is a catcher who can display some power, and that’s exactly what Murphy brings. He hit 16 home runs in 2025 despite not playing in 100 games.
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Sean Murphy To Miss Start of 2026 Season
There is also the Braves side of this trade idea, where, before things go totally south with Murphy, this is the best opportunity to move him.
Murphy played in just 94 games in 2025 and 72 games the year before that. This past season was cut short for Murphy due to hip surgery, which is expected to keep him out at least the start of the 2026 season. In each of the past two seasons, Murphy has also failed to hit above .200.
Again, with Drake Baldwin’s emergence as the everyday catcher, and either Jurickson Profar or Mike Yastrzemski being the DH, Murphy just might not have as prominent a role, which could also make this trade idea good news for him in terms of getting back to his 2023 all-star form.
Even if Murphy isn’t traded in the offseason, it wouldn’t be a shock if he becomes the subject of trade rumors once again once the new season gets underway.
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