The Braves’ trade for Sean Murphy may be one that Alex Anthopoulos regrets, as William Contreras, acquired by the Brewers, won his second consecutive Silver Slugger award since the trade.
While Sean Murphy has faced struggles for much of the past year and a half, his former counterpart, William Contreras, is making a strong case for being the best catcher in baseball. Murphy had one of the toughest seasons of his career, finishing with a batting average below the Mendoza Line, 10 home runs, and a career-low .636 OPS.
Murphy’s second half of 2023, however, was a major disappointment, as he struggled with a .159 batting average and a .585 OPS over his final 41 games. Prior to that slump, his first half with the Braves was outstanding, nearly reaching a 1.000 OPS and positioning himself as a contender in the NL MVP race before the All-Star break.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, William Contreras has continued to play at a high level since joining Milwaukee, earning his second consecutive Silver Slugger award and consistently performing as one of the top catchers in the league.
In his second season with the Brewers, Contreras built on his impressive debut, setting career highs in several key metrics. He finished with a .281 batting average, a .365 on-base percentage, and an .831 OPS. Contreras also hit 23 home runs, scored 99 runs, and drove in 92 RBIs—each marking a new personal best.
William Contreras led all National League catchers in home runs, runs, RBIs, batting average, and OPS in 2023. Since 2022, he has been the top catcher in MLB for batting average, OPS, runs, and WAR. He trails only Will Smith in RBIs and home runs during that span.
While Sean Murphy’s story in Atlanta is still unfolding and he remains one of the top defensive catchers in the game, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the trade for him might be one Alex Anthopoulos wishes he could revisit, especially given Contreras’ continued rise in Milwaukee.
