Oakland A’s have chance to make right move with Sean Murphy
By Kevin Henry
As the offseason grinds along heading into Winter Meetings time, the Oakland A’s are in the enviable position of having a player on their roster (catcher Sean Murphy) who could well incite a bidding war for his services among several teams interested in making a trade.
Oakland A’s can parlay Sean Murphy into a strong return thanks to multiple teams reportedly interested in trading for him
With news that the Tampa Bay Rays have shown interest in making a deal with Oakland to acquire the 28-year-old catcher, the A’s have yet another team (joining the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox) that have expressed interest in bringing Murphy on board. In what is a thin catching market this offseason, Murphy’s 3.5 bWAR last season (.250/.332/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 66 RBI) is certainly eye-catching for any team looking to upgrade behind the plate. That list could also include 2022 postseason participants St. Louis and Houston as well.
Oakland made numerous trades last season, restocking its farm system while dealing off faces of the franchise such as Matt Olson (a blockbuster deal with the Atlanta Braves) and Frankie Montas (sent to the New York Yankees along with reliever Lou Trivino in a deal that netted four prospects). The franchise’s biggest trade chip left on the roster is Murphy, and not just because of what he has flashed at the plate in recent outings, but also the fact that he won’t become a free agent until the 2026 campaign. Whichever team lands Murphy in a trade will have their catcher for years to come, and that’s a tantalizing prospect for several teams who have question marks at catcher.
Murphy is realistically the last substantial trade chip the A’s have left to play, so getting the best return in whatever deal is made is paramount for a team that is in full rebuild mode. Continuing to restock the farm system with near-MLB-ready talent or top prospects should happen for the A’s when they decide to move Murphy, and it’s expected there will be plenty of teams looking to outbid each other to land him.
For Oakland, Murphy’s status is one of the biggest stories of the offseason. Where he will land and what the A’s will get in return will likely be one of the few ways (along with where the team will call home in the near future) that Oakland will stay front of mind with MLB fans this winter.
Next. 3 players for the A's to target this offseason. dark
As a franchise, Oakland needs to make the right decision with the Murphy trade and get the best return available. However the bidding war for Murphy sorts out, the A’s need to make sure that, if they’re going to deal one of the biggest catching assets available, they ultimately win that trade.