After acquiring a bunch of new pitchers, Jesse Winker, and Abraham Toro earlier this offseason, the Brewers next mission should be to upgrade at catcher. One potential player to target is Sean Murphy. Murphy is a member of the Oakland A’s and they are reportedly willing to part ways with their star catcher. Here we will put together a trade proposal for him.
Murphy has been involved in countless rumors since as early as the trade deadline in July. Rumors have only intensified with Winter Meetings beginning. The Brewers have not yet been linked to Murphy, but that’s not to say that they aren’t interested in him.
If the Brewers do want to strike a deal with the A’s to land Murphy, it will cost them. Murphy remains under club control until 2025. He is a well rounded catcher who won a gold glove in 2021 and received one MVP vote last season.
Here is a Brewers trade proposal for Sean Murphy.
Brewers Receive: Sean Murphy
Athletics Receive: Tyrone Taylor, Keston Hiura, Ethan Small, Felix Valerio
Looking at the A’s package, they would be getting three players who could contribute to their ball club in 2023. Small is the Brewers 12th ranked prospect and Valerio is 15th.
Taylor is an established big league player who has had lots of playing time blocked. He has had to compete against Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Hunter Renfroe, Avisail Garcia, Jonathan Davis, and Garrett Mitchell over the past two seasons for playing time and is often regarded as the fourth outfielder. Heading to Oakland could allow for some more consistent playing time.
Hiura is a player who could benefit from a change of scenery. He broke onto the scene in 2019, but he has not consistently replicated that success since. His defensive struggles are well documented, but he did look much more comfortable at first base last season. He could thrive as a designated hitter in which the A’s could give him that opportunity.
Small was drafted in the first round of the 2019 draft. He made his MLB debut last season. His command took a step backwards in 2022, but he still projects to a fourth or fifth type starter in the big leagues. Small could help provide starting rotation depth behind Cole Irvin, Paul Blackburn, and James Kaprielan.
Last up is Valerio. He was acquired by the Brewers in 2019 via a trade with the Met’s. He sky rocketed up the prospect rankings after a great 2021 season and was solid, but not outstanding in 2022. His ability to hit and make contact is his calling card. Additionally, he has sneaky speed as he’s stolen more than 30 bases in each of the past two years. He is Rule-5 draft eligible this year, but likely will not be selected.
The Athletics could be asking for much more in return than this trade proposal in order to part ways with Sean Murphy. However, three big league players is a hefty price to give up. It will be interesting to see what kind of haul Murphy does yield if he is traded this offseason.
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1 Comment
Not a lot of upside on the return for the athletics… i would be surprised if we move for Murphy without an OF prospect heading back… more food for thought tho… i would be willing to up the ante a lot if Athletics add Laureano to the trade…