While most of the decisions for the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline as to who should stay and who can go are pretty straightforward, catcher Sean Murphy's future is a bit tricky. Murphy is making a good chunk of change at a position where the Braves already have a strong player in Drake Baldwin and his offensive track record in Atlanta has been a rollercoaster ride. However, Murphy manages the pitching staff well, could form a formidable duo with Baldwin in the lineup almost everyday if the DH spot frees up after 2025, and he has been hitting a lot better lately.
There are pros and cons to both sides of trading Murphy and whether or not it is even entertained will come down to what sorts of offers the Braves get. However, Chris Rose on Talkin' Baseball seems to think that the Braves could match up on a Murphy trade with the Giants which...would be interesting to say the least.
Braves connected with the SF Giants on a potential Sean Murphy trade
Again, it would come down to the package the Giants would send over as to whether or not Atlanta would actually answer the phone. However, San Francisco does have prospect talent on both sides of the ball that could convince the Braves to actually explore a move.
It is the Giants' end that is a little bit tricky to understand. Yes, they aren't getting much out of the position offensively this year which does matter, but Patrick Bailey is still a pretty valuable player overall. His 1.8 fWAR in the first half ranks 13th among all qualified catchers in baseball which is both fine and surprising give his struggles with the bat. Bailey is also an extremely good defensive catcher with elite metrics when it comes to framing and controlling the running game.
Given that Bailey does have real overall value, one does wonder how motivated they would even be to trade for Murphy. Buster Posey is running the Giants' front office now and he knows better than anyone the value a good catcher can have to a team. However, he may also be the one guy that can identify Bailey's value best beyond the back of his baseball card.
Stay tuned, Braves fans, because things are starting to get interesting ahead of the trade deadline.