The Atlanta Braves have built one of the most aggressive long-term payroll structures in Major League Baseball.
Over the last several seasons, the organization has committed heavily to locking in its core with multi-year extensions.
Some of those deals have aged beautifully.
Others are beginning to draw scrutiny.
That scrutiny intensified this week when Bleacher Report released its list of the most overpaid players at each position across MLB.
In one of the most difficult evaluations on the list, catcher Sean Murphy was named the most overpaid player at his position.
Murphy was also the lone representative from the Atlanta Braves to appear on the list.
The designation immediately sparked debate among Braves fans.
Some viewed it as unfair.
Others saw it as an uncomfortable but necessary conversation.
From a financial perspective, the numbers are clear.
Murphy is set to earn $15 million again next season.
His luxury tax hit sits at $12.167 million, representing the average annual value of his contract.
That figure remains unchanged for the next three seasons, including 2026.
Even if Atlanta exercises Murphy’s club option for the 2029 season, the salary structure does not change.
The commitment is firm.
The expectations are high.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller cited two primary reasons for labeling Murphy as the most overpaid catcher in baseball.
The first is inconsistent offensive production.
The second is usage.
When a team pays a catcher $15 million per season, the assumption is simple.
That player should be the everyday starter.
Murphy, however, no longer occupies that role without question.
One of the defining developments in Atlanta’s catching situation has been the emergence of Drake Baldwin.
Baldwin’s presence has forced the Braves to split time behind the plate.
That dynamic fundamentally alters how Murphy’s contract is perceived.
Paying premium money for a part-time catcher is rarely seen as efficient roster construction.
Even if the player remains productive.
Miller acknowledged that Murphy’s season was not without positive stretches.
In fact, his first half was legitimately strong.
“In fairness to Murphy, he did have a solid first half,” Miller wrote.
“He hit 16 home runs in his first 220 trips to the plate.”
That pace projected to 44 home runs over a full 162-game season.
Those numbers approach elite territory for a catcher.
Not quite at the level of Cal Raleigh, but still well above league average.
The problem is what followed.
After those first 220 plate appearances, Murphy failed to hit a single home run over his final 117 trips to the plate.
The power vanished.
The production dipped sharply.
That feast-or-famine pattern has become a recurring theme in Murphy’s offensive profile.
When he is locked in, he looks like one of the most dangerous power-hitting catchers in baseball.
When he is not, the drop-off is dramatic.
One critical aspect missing from Miller’s critique, however, is context.
Specifically, injuries.
Murphy’s season was significantly impacted by physical issues.
Those injuries directly contributed to the inconsistency that fueled the criticism.
Ignoring that factor oversimplifies the evaluation.
To be clear, injuries do not absolve the contract from scrutiny.
Availability is part of value.
Durability matters.
But injuries are not a footnote in Murphy’s case.
They are the defining variable behind his offensive volatility.
Eventually, Murphy made the difficult decision to undergo hip surgery.
It was a procedure he had delayed until the issue finally became untenable.
By the time he opted for surgery, the hip had clearly affected both his swing mechanics and his ability to stay in rhythm.
The timing of the surgery now puts Murphy’s availability for the start of the upcoming season in doubt.
It appears increasingly likely that he will miss at least the beginning of the year.
The good news is that this type of procedure is generally viewed as corrective rather than degenerative.
Once healed, Murphy is expected to be fully healthy.
There is optimism that he can return without lingering limitations.
That optimism is shared within the Braves organization.
The coaching staff has consistently emphasized plans to keep Murphy’s bat in the lineup even when he is not catching.
Bench coach Walt Weiss reinforced that vision during the Winter Meetings.
Atlanta intends to maximize Murphy’s offensive contributions through creative lineup usage.
Even with the offseason addition of Mike Yastrzemski, that strategy is not expected to change significantly.
Murphy’s role, when healthy, remains central to Atlanta’s plans.
The overpaid label becomes even more complicated when viewed through the lens of league-wide contracts.
Catchers who can provide power, defense, and game-calling rarely come cheap.
The market itself is unforgiving.
At the same time, this is not the first Braves contract to draw criticism this offseason.
Bleacher Report also labeled Austin Riley’s extension as a “nightmarish deal.”
Riley earns $22 million per season and remains under contract into the next decade.
Like Murphy, his value is closely tied to health.
When healthy, Riley is an impact bat at a premium position.
When not, the contract becomes far more difficult to justify.
For Atlanta, the path forward is not about tearing down contracts.
It is about maximizing them.
The Braves do not need Murphy to justify his deal with MVP-level production.
They need consistency.
They need availability.
They need him on the field.
A healthy version of Murphy has already shown what he can be.
At his best, he is a middle-of-the-order threat.
At his best, he controls the running game and handles pitching staffs with confidence.
The label of “most overpaid” is provocative by design.
It is meant to spark discussion rather than deliver a final verdict.
Murphy’s story is not finished.
When exactly he will get the chance to respond remains uncertain.
That opportunity will come once his recovery is complete.
And when it does, the Braves will be watching closely.
Because if Murphy returns healthy and productive, the narrative will shift quickly.
If he does not, the criticism will only grow louder.
In the end, Sean Murphy’s contract is neither a clear disaster nor an unquestionable bargain.
It exists in the gray area where performance, health, and usage intersect.
And in 2026, that intersection may define both his future and Atlanta’s championship aspirations.
