by Atlanta’s acquisition of the catcher Sean Murphy A three-team trade with the A’s and Brewers led to some speculation about the possibility of a senior trade. Travis d’Arnaud, which Murphy sacked as the starting catcher the moment it was won. However, David O’Brien of The Athletic said the Braves’ head of baseball operations, Alex Anthopoulos, was “certain” that he had no intention of trading d’Arnaud – beyond his contributions with the bat – which the team values as a senior leader. It says and it’s on the back of the plate.
Heading into the 2023 season, it looks like Murphy and d’Arnaud will have a timeshare behind the plate, and the universally designated hitter gives the Braves the opportunity to line both catchers from time to time. If the plan is to get d’Arnaud into a DH with any regularity, who cut .268/.319/.472 with a career-high 18 home runs, that would be the case. Chadwick TrompChance to qualify as third catcher in 2023.
Tromp, 27 (28 on March) is the only other catcher on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. manny pina and William Contreras It was traded (in Murphy’s deal), but there is a couple minor league options remaining. Alternatively, the Braves could bring in a more experienced backup or just carry Murphy and d’Arnaud and risk losing their DH on the days when they’re both in the lineup.
Looking beyond the 2023 season, the Braves keep d’Arnaud in club control, albeit with an $8 million team option without a buyout. That’s the same salary d’Arnaud earned in 2023, and while the Braves were comfortable taking Murphy and his estimated salary of $3.5 million at a time when d’Arnaud was already guaranteed $8 million, it would be a different story to find out. The option is to know that Murphy will line up for a raise and d’Arnaud will likely be penalized for a lower role than when he signed his current contract.
Still, even if the Braves choose to set a lower price for the 2024 season (and possibly beyond), O’Brien tweets Braves want d’Arnaud to be “around” [the] The team is long-term.” he also appendices after that Freddie Freemandeparture, d’Arnaud and dansby swan (of course he is now a free agent) stepped into a key leadership role. While dealing with D’Arnaud gives the Braves perhaps valuable breathing space between the currently projected $229.3 million luxury tax book and the $233 million luxury fines threshold, this doesn’t seem like an approach they’ve been considering.
