Braves seem unlikely to replace Sean Murphy with one free-agent catcher

 

Murphy, 30, suffered a cracked rib early in spring training and is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, ruling him out for Opening Day.

Acquired from the A’s to be Atlanta’s long-term solution behind the plate, Murphy was quickly rewarded with a six-year, $73 million extension. The move has proven to be a wise decision by general manager Alex Anthopoulos, as Murphy earned an All-Star selection in his first season with the team.

Although he appeared in just 72 games last season and posted a .193/.284/.352 slash line with a .636 OPS, 10 home runs, and 25 RBIs—numbers well below his 2023 production—his defensive contributions were undeniable. With Murphy catching, Braves pitchers recorded a stellar 2.85 ERA over 594 innings. Without him, that ERA jumped to 3.93 across 849.1 innings.