In December 2022, almost two years ago, the Milwaukee Brewers unexpectedly participated in a three-team trade that resulted in Oakland A’s star Sean Murphy. Atlanta Braves. Former Brewers catcher Manny Pina moved from the Braves to the A’s along with a slew of prospects.
Meanwhile, the Brewers sent Esteury Ruiz to the A’s, receiving Joel Payamps in return. They also acquired 2022 All-Star catcher William Contreras from Atlanta, allowing Murphy to take over as the Braves’ starting defenseman.
To say Milwaukee robbed Atlanta in this trade would be an understatement.
William Contreras thrived with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Sean Murphy struggled with the Atlanta Braves
In its first season in BraveMurphy hit .251/.365/.478 with 21 home runs and 68 RBI in 108 games. That same year, he made the National League All-Star team instead of Contreras.
However, in 2024, Murphy appeared in just 72 games and hit .193/.284/.352 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI.
Meanwhile, Contreras has developed into one of the most consistent, strong and best defensive catchers in all of baseball since arriving in Milwaukee.
In his first season with the Brewers, Contras he hit .289/.367/.457 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI in 141 games. He finished 11th in the NL MVP voting and won his first career Silver Slugger award.
Last season, Contreras was named a starter on the NL All-Star team and finished the season with a .281/.365/.466 line, 23 home runs and 92 RBI while playing in an astonishing 155 games. He won his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award and finished fifth in NL MVP voting.
The Atlanta Braves traded William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers because the Pitchers wouldn’t pitch to him
IN recent article in which he discusses the top trade candidates for the Braves, MLB insider Mark Bowman revealed the shocking reason Atlanta chose Murphy over Contreras in 2022: Braves pitchers didn’t want to pitch to him:
“The William Contreras trade that brought Sean Murphy to Atlanta seems like a huge mistake. However, some pitchers were reluctant to throw to Contreras, and Murphy still has time to prove he can be the catcher the Braves envisioned.
Before arriving in Milwaukee, Contreras’ defense was apprehension. However, the Brewers have had success in helping their catchers improve defensively, which has certainly been the case with their All-Star defense.
In 2022, his final season with the Braves and the year he made his first All-Star team, Contreras had a defensive runs saved of -4. The year before, in 2021 (the year Atlanta won the World Series), it was -7.
Last year, Contreras had a defensive runs saved of +6.
Over the past two seasons, the two-time Brewers Silver Slugger has played 228 games as a catcher (296 games total). During this same time period, Murphy played 171 games as a catcher (180 games in total).
While Contreras’ offense and defense played a key role in Milwaukee’s success, his leadership within the club also played a key role in Milwaukee’s success. Fortunately, he still has three years of control of the club left. Let’s hope Milwaukee deems him worthy of one of their sporadic long-term contracts.
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