The Atlanta Braves have been very active in the early going this offseason. GM Alex Anthopoulos and the rest of the front office have met the team’s needs to this point by improving in necessary areas. However, does that mean the Braves are done making moves? That remains to be seen, but if Atlanta is done signing players, it doesn’t mean they can’t improve via the trade market.
Drake Baldwin had a phenomenal rookie season for the Braves, which resulted in him winning the NL Rookie of the Year award. Because teams in MLB, like the San Diego Padres, need a competent catcher, this could be a great opportunity for the Braves to offload Sean Murphy to the NL West contender.
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Should the Braves Field Calls on Sean Murphy?
If the Atlanta Braves decided to make Sean Murphy open to trade, the San Diego Padres would almost certainly come calling. Catcher is a premier position in MLB, and Murphy brings an upside with his power output and good defensive framing (which is increasingly important heading into 2026).
In this trade idea, the Braves offload Sean Murphy to the Padres in a player-swap deal for reliever Jeremiah Estrada.
GettySean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
Adding Estrada would be adding another arm to the Braves’ pitching staff and help with depth. Estrada is a proven arm who has made 60+ appearances in each of the last two seasons, and posted a 3.45 ERA over 73 innings in 2025.
With all the formidable arms in the Padres bullpen, like Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Jason Adam, Estrada might be expendable. San Diego also lost Robert Suarez to the Atlanta Braves on a three-year, $45 million deal.
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Why the Braves Would Want to Trade Sean Murphy?
The Atlanta Braves certainly have reason to trade away Sean Murphy. First off, it would help Atlanta clear some payroll as Murphy signed a six-year, $73 million deal before the 2023 season.
Murphy was an All-Star in 2023, but his production has seen a dip ever since.
In both 2024 and 2025, Murphy failed to appear in 100 games and has not posted an average above .200.
He was sidelined at the end of the 2025 season due to hip surgery, which may keep him out for the start of the 2026 season as well.
What the Braves could do is sign another veteran catcher on a low-cost deal, which would give them security in the backup catcher position, and send Sean Murphy elsewhere to a team with a need at catcher. Some other teams besides the Padres who are thought to be in the market for a backstop are the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and Kansas City Royals.
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