The Atlanta Braves suffered a bit of déjà vu on Monday as it was reported catcher Sean Murphy suffered a cracked left rib. This injury occurred after Murphy was hit by a pitch during a game down at spring training.
Atlanta dealt with a plethora of injuries in 2024 and fans are hoping this isn't the start of another wave of injuries in 2025. Murphy can't control being hit by a pitch and it's bound to happen. Atlanta's catcher gets hit often as he's been hit by a pitch 46 times from 2021-2024. 12 in 2021, 13 in 2022, 18 in 2023, and 3 in 2024.
This appears to be when #Braves catcher Sean Murphy was hit by a 95mph fastball on Friday against the Marlins #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/oAWVc4ODxK
— Baillie Burmaster (@baillie_burm) March 3, 2025
That's not helpful if you want to try and stay healthy. However, Murphy is now expected to be out for 4-6 weeks with the regular season just three weeks away. This has led some Braves fans to become upset about the trade that brought their starting catcher to Atlanta.
Nick Cellini of 680 The Fan had an absolutely absurd take, stating Murphy is a "villain." He stated there's always going to be something with him and that if he plays like "garbage" the rib will be a "built-in excuse."
Cellini mentioned he knew he was speaking emotionally but if he had the self-awareness to say that, why continue the tirade against Murphy and call the trade a "swing and a miss"? He went as far as to say that would be fine if he never saw Sean in a Braves uniform again.
Did the Braves miss out on the Sean Murphy trade???? @CelliniNick @chrisdimino pic.twitter.com/vEkjM5RJzR
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) March 3, 2025
This was obviously a very over the top and ridiculous take. His co-host Chris Dimino did break up the rant saying "You do know he got hit with a baseball, right?" He's right. Murphy didn't go there and tell the pitcher to drill him and break his rib. If anyone wants to be on the field to redeem themselves, it's 30-year-old backstop.
We are going to see Murphy in a Braves uniform again and fans should be happy about that. The sentiment around Atlanta's talented backstop has been insanely negative and he underperformed last season, he is still an All-Star caliber catcher. Was the trade a bust? Let's see how all sides of the deal have faired since.
Grading the Braves' trade for Sean Murphy after his latest injury fiasco
As a reminder, the Braves acquired Murphy from the A's in a three-team deal. This deal was after the 2022 season where Murphy had a 5.1 fWAR which ranked third among qualified MLB catchers that season. He hit 18 home runs, drove in 66 runs, earned a .426 slugging percentage, and a 120 OPS+.
It makes sense why the Braves traded for him at the time. Atlanta parted with a good bit of prospects in the deal, headlined by William Contreras and Kyle Muller.
Here's a full breakdown of each team's haul and grade:
A's grade: F
A’s received: C Manny Piña, LHP Kyle Muller, RHP Freddy Tarnok, RHP Royber Salinas, OF Esteury Ruiz (from Brewers)
The A's were not winners in this deal. Almost every single player they received is no longer with the organization. Piña appeared in four games before being released in 2023, Muller didn't perform well and is now pitching in Japan with the NPB’s Chunichi Dragons, Tarnok is with the Marlins, and Salinas is back in the Braves system. Ruiz is the only piece left and he landed on the 60-day IL at the end of the 2024 season. Like most A's trades, this one stunk.
Braves grade: B
Braves received:
C Sean Murphy (extended him on a six-year, $73 million contract soon after)
The Braves were able to get a Gold Glove catcher and extend him for the foreseeable future. In Murphy's debut season, he impressed immediately, batting .306 with 17 doubles, 17 homers, 55 RBI, and a 171 OPS+ in the first half to earn his first All-Star selection. Things fell apart a bit for him in the second half.
2024 continued that bump in the road for Sean as he was injured in the first game of the season after having an impressive spring. He never looked fully healthy after that and didn't hit well when he returned. Murphy has continued to be one of the best defensive catchers in baseball and he's excellent with the starting staff. He still has plenty of value to Atlanta but Drake Baldwin could force the Braves to make a tough decision soon. Overall, the Braves did a great job with this deal.
Brewers grade: A
Brewers received: C William Contreras, RHP Justin Yeager, RHP Joel Payamps (from A’s)
The Brewers got one of the best catching prospects in baseball and by far got the best return in the deal. They needed a quality catcher and Contreras has cleared Atlanta's catcher offensively with an average of over .280 in each season he's been with Milwaukee.
Hard to lose a bat of that caliber but Contreras hasn't really improved defensively. He was better at blocking and framing in 2023 but he's been below average in every other season. Yeager is still in the Brewers minor league system but he's been decent for them. Payamps has been a massive part of Milwaukee's great bullpen the last two seasons.
The Braves and Brewers came out on top in this trade while the A's unsurprisingly faltered. Murphy still has time to prove his worth to the doubters while Milwaukee hope Contreras can improve his defense and become the complete package.