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Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
As pitchers and catchers have officially reported to spring training, all MLB teams are working to finalize their spring rosters. The Atlanta Braves have received a lot of news in just the first week of pitchers and catchers reporting. That includes bringing in catcher Jonah Heim, Sean Murphy, and Spencer Schwellenbach, and dealing with injuries that will sideline them to start the season.
Does this mean the Braves could make a notable trade before the season opens up? Or shortly after the season begins? With Drake Baldwin’s emergence at catcher, and the signing of Jonah Heim to be the backup to start the season, where does that leave Sean Murphy and his services?
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Should the Braves Trade Sean Murphy?
Sean Murphy carries a high power upside as a catcher. However, he’s had trouble staying on the field in each of the last two seasons, and it seems like that will continue in 2026. Murphy is set to start the season on the IL as he continues to rehab his hip.
It might be the best move for the Braves to trade Sean Murphy now, before he returns, is not productive, and becomes an unattractive trade chip. He signed a six-year, $73 million deal before the 2023 season. Murphy was named an All-Star in that 2023 season, but his production has also slipped since then.
In this trade pitch, the Braves offload Sean Murphy to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for starter Joe Boyle and RHP prospect Michael Forret.
GettySean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
The Rays have an abundance of starters on their depth chart and a clear need for a catcher who can hit for power, which is what Murphy does best at this point of his career.
This trade idea also makes sense for the reason that the Braves should be looking to add another arm to their organization after the Spencer Schwellenbach news.
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Will the Braves Trade Sean Murphy?
This is the next big question: Would the Braves trade Sean Murphy? Murphy was the subject of trade rumors last July, and the Rays were rumored to be interested, but a deal was never made.
Tampa Bay would have to eat a little bit of Murphy’s remaining deal to likely make a deal work, but that would be the biggest hurdle.
Murphy has failed to appear in 100 games and post an average above .200 in each of the last two seasons.
Michael Forret is the Rays’ seventh-ranked prospect, and Joe Boyle made nine starts for Tampa Bay last season and posted a 4.67 ERA over 50+ innings.
Even if the Braves don’t want to trade Sean Murphy at this very moment, once the season rolls around, keep an eye on his trade market and potential suitors.
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