It would classify as a good problem to have, but the Atlanta Braves have two catchers on their roster who both need to play everyday. As we know only one can. Veteran Sean Murphy and top prospect Drake Baldwin form one of the top catching duos in the league.
Because Marcell Ozuna holds down the DH spot on a nightly basis, the Braves are opting to go with around a 70-30 time split in favor of the veteran backstop Murphy. However, the more we see of Drake Baldwin the more we like. Catcher is the one position you can have two guys share a lot of playing time and it make sense. However, early on both of these guys look so good that many of us wish there was a way to carve out more at-bats for each of them.
This season the Braves can get away with easing Baldwin into his backup Major League role. But by seasons end if Baldwin and Murphy continue to play to this level the Braves will have a real decision to make this offseason. It's why the 2025 season could go a long way in determining who the catcher of the future is in Atlanta.
Rest of the season could be a competition between Murphy and Baldwin for catcher of the future
As things stand right now Sean Murphy currently sports a 150 wRC+, .393 wOBA, .363 xwOBA, and 0.5 fWAR in just 11 games played. For comparison top prospect Drake Baldwin owns a 104 wRC+, .323 wOBA, .352 xwOBA, and 0.2 fWAR in 12 games played. This combination should make the Braves one of the top teams in catcher position production in 2025.
The dilemma is if the Braves can afford to sit one of these talented players on the bench regularly in future seasons. Unless the Braves opt to move on from Marcell Ozuna at seasons end (he's expressed wanting to finish his career in Atlanta) then we will face the exact same problem in 2026.
Murphy is an All-Star level veteran who is owed real money over the next few seasons. Baldwin is a top prospect who needs to play close to everyday. How do you choose who to go with in the long-term? It's really a matter of which flavor you like, as each produce in different ways.
Murphy is more of the slugging right-handed bat with his violent swing, and at this point probably the slightly better defender in terms of blocking and throwing out runners. Baldwin is the much more disciplined approach left-handed hitter, rarely chasing pitches out the zone and looking to drive pitches to the opposite field.
Alex Anthopoulos has built this lineup on slugging so one could see why Murphy may be the preferred option to stay. However, Baldwin's OBP skills and left-handed bat could be a nice balance to a normally heavy right-handed slugging team. There is really no wrong choice here.
If Baldwin proves to be the player the organization thinks he can be then the front office has to do something next offseason. Because Murphy's deal is considered team-friendly trading him wouldn't be a challenge in the winter. However, the price for franchise catcher has gone up after the Mariners paid Cal Raleigh, so rolling with Baldwin would open up money now, but wouldn't eliminate the need to pay him down the road.
Regardless, each catchers performance could determine what the front office decides to do this winter. It's not that their tenure in Atlanta hinges on playing well in 2025, but if these catchers continue to play well this season Anthopoulos is going to have to find a way to get really creative if he wants to keep them both long-term.