Braves-Rays Trade Idea Sends $73 Million All-Star to Tampa Bay

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Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves

MLB’s hot stove season is here! And there has already been a lot of movement and shakeup across the league. Last week featured three massive trades that will certainly have strong implications on the 2026 season.

The Atlanta Braves made a notable-ish trade when they sent Nick Allen to the Houston Astros in return for Mauricio Dubón, but there is still plenty of opportunity for Atlanta to make its presence known in the trade market. That could come in the form of trading former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy.

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Braves-Rays Trade Prediction Features Sean Murphy

Braves catcher Sean Murphy was the subject of some trade rumors back in July, but he ultimately ended up staying put. Now that the offseason is here, it’s time for speculation once again on who could be on the move.

In this hypothetical trade idea, the Atlanta Braves offload Sean Murphy to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for starter Shane Baz and prospect Xavier Isaac.

GettySean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves

The biggest hurdle in this potential deal is whether the Rays would be willing to take on part of Murphy’s six-year, $73 million contract, which runs through the 2028 season.

However, when you take a look at the Rays’ depth chart at catcher, it is rather thin. Nick Fortes is the starter at the moment, and Hunter Feduccia is his backup. As physically demanding as catching is, the best teams in MLB have a backstop who is able to hit as well. Also, when you consider that the NL Rookie of the Year was Drake Baldwin in 2025, it might be hard to find meaningful at-bats every day for both Baldwin and Murphy.

Despite hitting just .199 in 2025, Sean Murphy posted a 98 OPS+ and hit 29 extra-base hits (16 HRs) in just 94 games. 2023 was Murphy’s best season as a pro, and it came in his first season after being traded to the Braves from the Athletics. He posted a 127 OPS+, which is stellar for a catcher, and hit 21 home runs and 21 doubles.

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Why the Braves Should Make This Deal?

The Atlanta Braves should consider this trade for two reasons. The first being that Shane Baz can be an inning-eater in a Braves uniform. Once a really touted prospect, Baz has struggled a little bit to find his footing at the MLB level, but in 2025, he made 31 starts and posted a 4.87 ERA in 166.1 innings.

Atlanta doesn’t need a top-of-the-rotation arm, but they do need some depth within the pitching staff and players who won’t get injured.

The second reason the Braves should consider making this deal is that it would send over a hitting prospect into the Braves’ farm system, which is pretty depleted at the moment.

As the offseason progresses, keep an eye out for Sean Murphy’s name to start floating around in trade rumors, as the Braves front office decides which course of action to take with their $73 million catcher.

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