Oakland A's: 3 potential landing spots for Sean Murphy

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Oakland A’s trade rumors: 3 potential landing spots for Sean Murphy

The last-place Oakland Athletics are once again sitting on one of the game’s more intriguing trade chips as we near this year’s deadline. Last year, it was a tale of two Matts in Olson and Chapman that the A’s had to sell. This year, it’s catcher Sean Murphy.

Murphy, 27, is emerging as one of the game’s best defensive catchers with a bat that is slowly beginning to come around as well. So far this season, he has 88 games under his belt with 11 home runs, 40 RBI and an OPS+ of 117 and an as of now career-best oWAR (per Baseball-Reference) of 2.2.

With the A’s struggling the way they are (35-63, 30.0 GB of AL West lead) in the standings, they would be wise to unload anything of value on their big league roster and keep an eye on the future instead. Murphy represents one of the bigger trade chips they have alongside staff ace Frankie Montas.

This is all without mentioning the presence of uber-prospect Shea Langeliers, who is nearing his first shot at some big league action. This year’s Futures Game MVP has been lighting up the opposition in Triple-A and is younger than Murphy with more of a bat. He is the No. 1 prospect in Oakland’s system and will not be able to be kept down in the minors for much longer.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins immediately jump off the page as a fit for Murphy’s services, as they are currently rolling with a combination of Gary Sanchez and 27-year old rookie Caleb Hamilton behind the plate after Ryan Jeffers went down with an injury.

Sanchez and his defensive limitations have been well-documented over the years and he is not much more of a designated hitter at his core. Hamilton is an as of now unproven rookie who the club wouldn’t have an issue cutting bait with. Enter Sean Murphy, who would represent an immediate upgrade both at the plate and behind it.

An acquisition of Murphy would require a pretty hefty return sent back to Oakland, but a pairing behind the plate of Murphy and Jeffers looks a whole lot better than Jeffers and Sanchez moving forward.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 28: Sean Murphy #12 of the Oakland Athletics at bat during the fourth inning of the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Angels

While an inter-division trade is always unlikely, it’s not impossible either.

The Los Angeles Angels are rolling with a combination of Max Stassi and Kurt Suzuki and while this duo is not the worst in the majors, it could use an upgrade both on offense and defense, one that Murphy could provide. Suzuki is a free agent at season’s end and Stassi is likely best used as an oft-used backup catcher.

On the season, the Angels have gotten well below average offensive output from both of their catchers, as Suzuki has been worth -0.3 bWAR and has just a 56 OPS+ paired with a dWAR of just 0.1

Stassi has been getting the majority of the at bats behind the plate but he has not fared much better than Suzuki. In 60 games, Stassi has just five home runs and an OPS+ of 88 while striking out in just about 30% of his plate appearances. His defense has not been much better either, as he has been worth just 0.2 dWAR per Baseball-Reference.

Adding a catcher of Murphy’s stature would give the club’s catching situation a significant boost. Everyone knows that the Angels have struggled to make the postseason with two of the best players in baseball on their roster. The front office should be willing to make any moves necessary to get this team closer to contention before their window is closed for good.

OAKLAND, CA – MAY 16: Sean Murphy #12 of the Oakland Athletics bats during the game against the Minnesota Twins at RingCentral Coliseum on May 16, 2022 in Oakland, California. The Twins defeated the Athletics 3-1. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Rays

Staying in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays are another team that would benefit from adding someone of Murphy’s pedigree behind the plate.

Francisco Mejía has been the primary option at catcher this season for the Rays with Mike Zunino out with injury, and has continued to be subpar on offense. In 58 games this year, Mejía has six home runs, 23 RBI and an OPS+ of 96. Shockingly, he has drawn only two walks all season, equaling about 1.1% of his plate appearances. His defense has not been much better but it has not been horrendous (0.2 dWAR).

Backing up Mejía is a player with one of the more interesting big league journeys in the game, Christian Bethancourt. The 30-year old backstop is a well-traveled journeyman at this point in his career and has gone from catcher to outfielder to pitcher to catcher over the years. This year, he has received his first significant look in the big leagues since 2016, splitting his time between the Athletics and the Rays, hitting five home runs with a 96 OPS+.

While the current tandem hasn’t been awful, it hasn’t necessarily been good. Adding Murphy would give the Rays a face behind the plate for multiple years to come, as he is still under team control for three years after the current campaign.

With Zunino a free agent at year’s end and Bethancourt no lock to stick around either, Murphy would pair nicely with either Mejía or a prospect like Ford Proctor or René Pinto in the coming seasons.

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