A's acquire 5 players in 3-way trade that sends catcher Murphy to Braves
OAKLAND -- The Oakland Athletics on Monday confirmed a three-way trade that sent catcher Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves and pitcher Joel Payamps to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for five new players.
The deal also sent All-Star catcher William Contreras to the Brewers.
Oakland acquired catcher Manny Piña and pitching prospects Kyle Muller, Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas from Atlanta and outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz from Milwaukee. In addition to Contreras and Payamps, the Brewers also acquired right-handed pitcher Justin Yeager.
Murphy, 28, led American League catchers in hits (114), doubles (28) and extra-base hits (46) this past season while batting .250 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs and a .759 OPS in 148 games. He won a Gold Glove in 2021.
Contreras, who turns 25 on Dec. 24, made the NL All-Star team as a designated hitter in 2022. He batted .278 with 20 homers, 45 RBIs and an .860 OPS while making 57 starts at catcher, 31 at designated hitter and one in left field.
The A's tweeted about the deal Monday afternoon.
The 35-year-old Piña played just five games for the Braves in 2022 before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery.
Muller, 25, was rated as the Braves' top prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America. He went 6-8 with a 3.41 ERA at Triple-A Gwinnett and went 1-1 with an 8.03 ERA in three starts with Atlanta. The left-hander has gone 3-5 with a 5.14 ERA in 12 career major-league appearances.
Ruiz, 23, had a combined 85 steals and a .974 OPS while playing in the San Diego Padres' and Brewers' farm systems. He was part of the package that came to Milwaukee in the deal that sent four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader to San Diego.
Tarnok, 24, made one relief appearance for the Braves in 2022 while spending most of the season at Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi. Salinas, a 21-year-old right-hander, pitched at the Single-A level for the Braves this past season.
In another move, the Athletics designated infielder Vimael Machín for assignment.
Trading away Murphy is the latest move by the Athletics as the team has undergone a full teardown since the owner-imposed lockout was lifted in March. The A's have traded Matt Olson (also to the Braves), Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas, and Sean Manaea during that time. Murphy's departure seemed even more certain after the Athletics acquired Shea Langeliers as part of the aforementioned Olson trade.
