ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves acquired catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics as part of a three-team deal Monday that also sent All-Star catcher William Contreras to the Milwaukee 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. The Brewers also acquired right-handed pitchers Joel Payamps and 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 Brewers also boosted their bullpen with the addition of Payamps, who went 3-6 with a 3.23 ERA in 41 games with the Kansas City Royals and Athletics last season. Yeager spent the 2022 season in the Braves’ farm system.
Oakland added plenty of prospects in the deal along with the 35-year-old Piña, who 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.
