The Atlanta Braves made a big splash on Monday when they acquired former Gold Glove catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics.
Atlanta sent two pitching prospects back to Oakland and catcher William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete a three-team trade.
But there are many reasons as to why Murphy is so elite and was considered the top catcher on the trade market.
In fact, over the past three seasons, the only catcher with a higher WAR than Murphy is Philadelphia Phillies backstop J.T. Realmuto.
Needless to say, the Braves managed to pick up one of the best catchers in the league with their latest trade.
J.T. Realmuto is the only MLB catcher to have a higher WAR over the last three seasons than Sean Murphy. 😍pic.twitter.com/K0xAAfdrSC
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) December 13, 2022
What Makes Murphy So Elite
Murphy hit for a .250 average at the plate and crushed 18 home runs during the regular season.
His defense was obviously also superb.
The 28-year-old Wright State alum posted a .991 fielding percentage, registered 878 putouts, and committed just eight errors while managing to catch 19 runners attempting to steal, which goes to show just how close to Realmuto he is in different facets of the game.
The National League East division now features perhaps the best two catchers in all of baseball, which should make for a fun rivalry next year between the Braves and the defending National League champions.
The Braves now have a little extra thump in a lineup that already features Ronald Acuna Jr. Austin Riley, Michael Harris, Ozzie Albies, and Murphy’s former Athletics teammate Matt Olson.
But with arguably the two best catchers in baseball both in the same division, the race for the NL East crown is going to be an exciting one.
NEXT: MLB World Reacts To The Sean Murphy Trade