The Atlanta Braves have been busy this offseason and have already worked with the Houston Astros on the trade front, acquiring utility player Mauricio Dubón in exchange for Nick Allen last month.
Elsewhere, Atlanta addressed its bullpen needs by adding Robert Suarez and reunited with Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year, $20 million contract. At this stage, the Braves’ primary focus is bolstering their pitching depth, either by adding another starter or bringing in additional arms. There have also been mild rumors suggesting the team could be open to trading former All-Star catcher Sean Murphy as part of a significant deal.
The Braves should consider moving on from Sean Murphy if the price is right. After signing a six-year, $73 million contract before 2023, Murphy started his Braves tenure strong by being named to the All-Star team in 2o23, but has shown some inconsistencies since.
In this trade idea, the Atlanta Braves offload Sean Murphy and acquire two Houston Astros pitchers in AJ Blubaugh and top prospect Miguel Ullola. Ullola is the Astros’ fifth-ranked prospect.
AJ Blubaugh saw some MLB innings in 2025 with the Astros. He posted a 1.69 ERA over 32 innings pitched. The Astros are faced with a big decision regarding Framber Valdez’s free agency, but it’s expected that Houston will be unable to retain him. Houston has a catcher already in Yainer Diaz, but Murphy could serve in a backup role as he did with the Braves in 2025.
As for Sean Murphy being the centerpiece of this deal, he has shown power upside in each of the past two seasons, but also has a sub-.200 batting average in both 2024 and 2025, and has failed to reach the 100-game mark in both seasons.
The Atlanta Braves should consider this deal for two different reasons. The first being, it seems they already have their everyday catcher in Drake Baldwin after Baldwin won the NL Rookie of the Year. And while it’s certainly important for Atlanta to have two capable catchers, they could sign a cheap option in free agency to serve as Drake Baldwin’s backup.
The second reason is the fact that Sean Murphy might miss the start of the 2026 season as he continues to recover from hip surgery. Murphy still has a strong defensive presence behind the dish.
It’s still unclear if the Braves have fielded calls on Sean Murphy, but for MLB teams out there that need a catcher, Murphy might be the best option on the trade market at this point.
