Calling the Athletics’ return in the Sean Murphy trade disappointing would be putting it mildly. While the Atlanta Braves, who were expected to land the top talent in the three-team deal, came away with a solid player in Murphy, it was actually the Milwaukee Brewers who ended up with the best overall outcome.
In the trade, Atlanta acquired Sean Murphy and sent a package of players to Oakland, including Freddy Tarnok (now with the Marlins), Kyle Muller (now pitching internationally), Royber Salinas (designated for assignment by Oakland, later reclaimed by Atlanta), and veteran catcher Manny Piña, who appeared in just four games for the A’s. Notably, Atlanta also parted with William Contreras—not to Oakland, but to Milwaukee. Contreras has since blossomed with the Brewers, earning two Silver Sluggers, an All-Star nod, and top-11 finishes in NL MVP voting in back-to-back seasons.
Contreras has easily been the standout from this trade, amassing 10.3 WAR. Murphy, while solid, trails with 6.4 WAR over three seasons in Atlanta. Surprisingly, the third most valuable player in the deal has been reliever Joel Payamps, a seemingly minor piece who delivered 2.0 WAR for Milwaukee before a rough 2025 season (8.35 ERA) led to his recent designation for assignment.
Milwaukee only got involved in the trade because Oakland insisted on acquiring Esteury Ruiz. While Ruiz broke the AL rookie stolen base record in 2023 with 67 steals, his offensive production was below average, and his defense only slightly above. Even in his record-setting year, Ruiz posted a -0.3 WAR, followed by -0.1 the next season—leaving him at -0.4 WAR total for Oakland.
Other returns were similarly underwhelming. Kyle Muller posted -0.9 WAR across two seasons, with a brief positive stint as a reliever. Tarnok had a 4.91 ERA in just over 12 innings but managed 0.2 WAR. Piña contributed nothing statistically, and Salinas never made it to the majors.
Altogether, Oakland ended up with a net return of -1.1 WAR while trading away players worth 8.4 WAR. While it’s understandable that rebuilding teams must take risks on prospects, this particular gamble fell flat—especially considering Murphy was one of the most coveted trade assets at the time. Budget limitations forced the A’s hand, but their desperation was evident, and rival teams likely didn’t offer their best packages knowing that.
Perhaps Oakland should think twice before making any more deals with Atlanta.
And on a side note, the Brewers have now designated Joel Payamps for assignment.
Leave a Reply