WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 01: Sean Murphy #12 of the Oakland Athletics hits against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 01, 2022 in Washington, DC. Braves (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Ranking the four biggest offseason moves by the Atlanta Braves.
The Atlanta Braves won the World Series in 2021, then looked set to do the same again in 2022 when they came back and won the division late on. Unfortunately, they ran up against an in-form Philadelphia team set to win the National League Pennant.
The Braves have worked hard to try and improve. Luckily for them, their workforce is already well expanded. Many of their moves and decisions have been a bit minor compared to other teams.
How have the Braves fared so far? These four decisions are the most important and deserve praise and criticism.
1) The Braves hit Sean Murphy’s lottery hard.
The Braves surprised just about everyone when it became lottery winner Sean Murphy. The former Oakland Athletics wide receiver was a primary target early in the offseason and found himself on a roster with two 2022 All-Star wide receivers. One of them, William Contreras, was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in this three-way deal.
There is a lot to discuss about this exchange. Contreras is younger and looks like he’s going to be a much better hitter than Murphy. Murphy brings better defense. We can cautiously call it a tie with some doubt as to whether the Braves have actually improved.
Whether Travis d’Arnaud is still on the list is more debatable. How will he and Murphy split time behind the plate in 2023?
Making sure they extended Murphy saves that move. Locked into one of those friendly contracts that Atlanta loves to hand out, Murphy’s trade and extension earn an above-average rating.
Grade for Sean Murphy Commerce and Extension: B-
Following : Evaluation of the operation by Joe Jimenez
