Atlanta’s acquisition of catcher Sean Murphy in a three-team trade with the A’s and Brewers led to some speculation about the possibility of trading veteran Travis d’Arnaud, whom Murphy ousted as the starting catcher the moment he was acquired. However, David O’Brien of The Athletic writes that Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has been “adamant” that he has no intention of trading d’Arnaud, whom the team values as a veteran leader — beyond his contributions with the bat and behind the plate.
Heading into the 2023 season, then, it appears as though Murphy and d’Arnaud will hold a timeshare behind the plate, with the universal designated hitter giving the Braves the opportunity to get both catchers in the lineup at times. If the plan is to get d’Arnaud, who slashed .268/.319/.472 with a career-high 18 home runs, into the lineup as a DH with any degree of regularity, that could bode well for Chadwick Tromp’s chances of making the roster as a third catcher in 2023.
The 27-year-old Tromp (28 in March) is the only other catcher on Atlanta’s 40-man roster now that Manny Pina and William Contreras have been traded (in the Murphy deal), though he does have a pair of minor league options remaining. Alternatively, the Braves could bring in a more experienced backup or simply carry just Murphy and d’Arnaud and run the risk of losing their DH on days when both are in the lineup.
Looking beyond the 2023 season, the Braves have d’Arnaud under club control, albeit via an $8MM team option with no buyout. That’s the same salary d’Arnaud is earning in 2023, and while the Braves were comfortable acquiring Murphy and his projected $3.5MM salary at a time when d’Arnaud was already guaranteed $8MM, it’d be a different story to pick up that option, knowing Murphy will be in line for a raise and that d’Arnaud would in all likelihood be ticketed for a lesser role than at the time he signed his current contract.
Still, even if the Braves prefer to try to work out a lower price for the 2024 season (and possibly beyond), O’Brien tweets that the Braves want d’Arnaud to be “around [the] team long term.” He further adds that in the wake of Freddie Freeman’s departure, d’Arnaud and Dansby Swanson (who is, of course, a free agent himself at the moment) stepped into key leadership role. While dealing d’Arnaud would give the Braves some perhaps valuable breathing room between their currently projected $229.3MM luxury-tax ledger and the $233MM threshold for luxury penalization, that doesn’t appear to be an approach they’re considering.
Of course not. There are 3 others guys they can trade though, including a pseudostar.
I’d take Acuna in a heartbeat, especially for what he’s being paid.
Heck yeah
Think the Braves would do Acuna, Albies, Fried and a prospect to the Brewers for Adames.
if you include Burnes and Yelich, then sure.
Burnes is a free agent the same time as Fried. The Braves wouldn’t want to replace a pitcher they can’t sign with another pitcher they can’t sign.
You are a perfect example of someone who announces to the world that he is a racist without actually saying, “I am a racist”.
Ronald is one of the most exciting players in mlb who signed a long term team friendly contract to stay with the Braves.. Yelich is grossly overpaid, no team would take him and that contract….much less give up a superstar to get him.
If the Braves were planning on trading TDA they would have kept Pina to back up Murphy.
Perfect example why the word racist has lost all meaning. It’s thrown around like Jon Lester checking a runner at first
@MountainBraves
What a stupid reply. Nothing is more 2022 that’s calling a guy a racist simply because he isn’t a fan of a player.
You are a tool. Waycissst
You can’t be serious? Why would the Braves trade their starting RF who is on a team friendly deal and has 40/40 potential. Their starting 2B who is also on a team friendly deal, their ACE who has 2 years left & then a prospect for Adams..that has to be the worst trade proposal I’ve ever seen, hands down. I wouldn’t trade just 1 of them for Adams
That trade proposal was obviously a joke
That trade suggestion was called humor. I know most people lack the ability to see it when it’s right in front of them but that was obvious.
Never know coming from a Mut fan..
Brewers are the only one that would do that trade.
Doesn’t make sense to trade him they don’t have a DH other than Ozuna…if he’s dh and Murphy gets hurt or vice versa you need a pinch hitter for the pitcher big deal…
Playoff time it could mean a 3rd catcher which would be the only difference
Silly, silly man, Acuna , aside from his narcissistic attitude, is going nowhere. Small d should be going nowhere. He handles the staff with acumen. He’ll teach Murphy the finer details. His biggest weakness is throwing out runners, Murphy is strong with that. I worry about SS
Contreras should have gone nowhere too but he’s gone.
Where exactly do you get the idea that Ronald is any more narcissistic than other professional athletes. He’s a great guy who plays the game with incredible joy and flair. I love watching him play.
A great player, but he’s a hot dog like Soto, It’s just like NFL players who score a TD & have to rub it in the face of the opponent, I don’t like it, I never will…
I love it. Latin players grow up playing the game with pure joy and love of the game. It’s their culture. It has nothing to do with being narcissistic.
Bingo Meanwhile white people hate that. It’s so damn racist.
If that’s your take on being humble, I’m done with baseball. Thanks MountainBraves
I’ve loved & watched BB since I was adopted in 1956. Everyone wants to tell me how to watch BB , including Latinos. I guess I’m done with it. Kiss off
I think I’m done with BB, brown wants to make me feel bad about my history, I’m done with you…
@remember: So the guy accusing others of having “damn racist” attitudes is doing so because of the color their skin. Self awareness is difficult for you, isn’t it.
So…. The same guy calling out someone for being a racist now stereotypes every ball player from a particular region.
Amazing self-awareness.
I didn’t stereotype any ball player. You should have taken the time to see who made those comments before you made that false accusation.
Not meant for you bud.
@Dog: Then I stand corrected. I apologize. The comment makes sense to me now……sorry.
I am seriously done, you want to pick a color, pick it now…
Not your fault. We coincidentally started a sentence in the same fashion so completely understandable.
And obviously, I like your grammar!
Lol……….quirky similarity of thought and timing.
Wait, because he doesn’t like a showboat that makes him racist? Apparently you have never met a racist, man. You are probably one of those upper middle class kids that were raised in a town like Portland or Seattle. You have never seen racism in your life but you want to so bad. Just because somebody who happens to be white doesn’t like the attitude of someone of color doesn’t make him a racist. Geez you millennials need to come down off your pedestal. I know your mommy convinced you that you are special and you have your little league participation trophy in an area of prominence but that doesn’t give you the right to say something so ugly about someone just because they don’t like showboating. It’s unsportsmanlike and doesn’t belong in baseball. Baseball has always been a gentleman’s game. Players are supposed to act with dignity and not rub something in an opponent’s face. I know you love when someone like Acuna does a bat flip and slow dances around the bases but the pitcher he just hit that home run off doesn’t need to have it rubbed in his face. Damn millennials. They ruined basketball, then football and now they are doing their best to ruin baseball. If you want to showboat play soccer.
@thecoffinnail spot on i would also like to add this too, if i wanted to see dancing and what not then i would watch professional dancing. when i tune into a bb game i want to see idk bb not someone hit a home run then dance around, especially if your getting blown out of a game. tbh only time i see a bat flip acceptable is when it’s game tying or walkoff/win
“ Baseball has always been a gentleman’s game. ”
Umm not it hasn’t. Bob Gibson would have taken Acuna’s head off the way he goes about playing the game. Baseball has been turned into a gentleman’s sport with all the other sports. Gentleman’s sport is tennis or golf. Baseball was the sport of the immigrant and not the gentleman. It was the blue collar sport much like soccer in Europe. Polo being a gentleman’s sport in The UK. Baseball was the sport of the commoner and not the gentleman.
Its not his fault, he listens to a lot of media and simply thinks like they do.
Finally someone else sees this. I saw a clip where Acuna homered in some irrelevant league and he did that stupid Lebron celebration. Acuna is not the only one to celebrate. It doesn’t matter if they are black, brown, or white. They all do. However, go help your team win, then do your stupid celebrations. Acuna didn’t do much of that the last season in a half. Technically, he still never did. The only time the Braves got to the CS with Acuna, they beat.a Marlins team in a shorten season. Otherwise, the Braves lost every DS with Acuna. Not blaming Acuna of course for the losses, but if you are a “superstar” you better play like one. He sure didn’t!
Anyways, the Braves are going downhill. They lost Freeman and now they on the verge of losing Swanson. Swanson may not post sexy numbers, however he plays everyday. His value to the team goes beyond his #’s on the field.
When healthy Ronald is a top 5 MLB player. It’s unbelievable that some so-called fans whine constantly about him. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone in baseball.
I wouldn’t trade him either, top 5, not recently. He has a lot to prove
I did say, “when healthy”. Prior to the injury he was easily top 5.
“when healthy” , I don’t disagree, but he has to get healthy, Can he?
I would trade Acuna for several players in baseball. Don’t get me wrong he is a star but he is an OF. A corner OF at that. A solid hitting OF is much easier to find than a solid hitting MI. Just a few I would trade him for, Tatis Jr, Tim Anderson, Carlos Correa, Altuve, and possibly Machado or Seager. I know Altuve isn’t what he was 5 years ago but he still produces as a 2nd baseman. Far more valuable than a corner OF. Is Acuna a top 5 OF in the game? Definitely. Is he the first choice to make when building a team? No.
Odd that you fit Tim Anderson in there…..he isn’t on the same level as those other guys.
Come one, just admit it. You just hate Acuna’s dreads. =))
Your an idiot
It’s an inside joke. “You’re” is the correct spelling. You also forgot punctuation. Kind of hard to call someone an idiot when you are illiterate.
I feel like this means they are trading d’Arnaud.
It would make sense to sell high in D’nard and get a regular left fielder or designated hitter.
Trade with Cubs for Ian Happ coming in?
D’Arnaud is a pretty good DH.
We had a good DH with Contreras but AA has his head up his butt and traded our perfectly good DH for a catcher displacing D’Arnaud to the DH spot all while spending more money the next two seasons paying Murphys arb raises as opposed to Contreras’ pre-arb salary.
Awesome moves AA. After all the good extensions I never thought it’d be possible to turn this team south so quickly but you’ve done it. Overpaying Olson who is not the next best thing at 1B everyone pegged him to be and now doubling down on another As player we absolutely did not need while watching Freeman walk away and Swanson walk away. And choosing to completely neglect the OF for two off seasons in a row.
It really is a miracle Harris stepped up when he did. No one expected that. We had two OF holes last year with the only spot filled going to a guy coming off ACL surgery and AA did nothing. Even with the fortunes of Harris emerging the outfield was still a problem which shows how bad it was with AA’s neglect.
And yet, he still hasn’t learned. Completely ignoring that corner OF spot yet again. And also seems content letting SS become a hole in its own right…. All while making deals for catchers to displace DArnaud and deal Contreras bat out of the DH spot.
Let’s not forget Fried still hasn’t been extended, and it looks more like they won’t the longer it goes. If that comes to pass no doubt it will be another hole that AA will CC lose to ignore. We’ll probably trade for a 3B next offseason while needing a SS, OF, and SP after Fried isn’t extended. Why a 3B you ask? Why not is my answer. It seems to fit AA’s general pattern lately.
Yeah that guy is awful, maybe he can find out who the reigning executive of the year is and ask for advice.
@MJ This move for Murphy is all about defense. He is far better at throwing runners out and the run game is going to have a renewed focus with the rule change on throw overs. You’re overreacting here. Contreas is a bad defensive catcher and I personally don’t agree with having a roster spot given to a guy to just be specifically a DH. They still owe Ozuna money and it’s not ignoring LF but rather going with what you have. Ozuna still hit over 20 home runs last season. I know the Average wasn’t there but still the Braves can afford having him in LF platooning with Rosario. It isn’t the end of the Braves being competitive for a World Series. Grissom at SS is more of a concern and more of a defensive concern. The Braves also aren’t going to be tapped out with resources heading into the season and having nothing to offer at the deadline. Braves will be fine and they will do their thing. Seriously you want Swanson on some bloated contract over 8 years? The Braves have to be smart and not spend like they are Congress.
I think d’Arnaud should do the primary amount of catching. He knows how to handle the pitching staff and was behind the plate when the Braves won the WS and won the division yet again with over 100 wins last season.
The Braves don’t view d’Arnaud as being durable enough to catch full time. Murphy played in over 140 games last season while d’Arnaud played in over 100 games last season and played only 60 the year before. d’Arnaud is also getting older and has always been injury prone. D’Arnaud has never played as many games in a single season as Murphy did last year and the year before. d’Arnaud is too old and injury prone to have the full time job at backstop anymore imo.
Im guessing you haven’t seen Murphy much, he’s an elite defensive catcher.
Yep. They are just trying to boost his value by playing “tough to get.”
Don’t you treat me like no dog gimme cootie cat.
Chadwick Tromp — now, that’s a name.
He’s Dutch.
It’s a great name. It reminds me of names that W.C. Fields used to dream up, like Cuthbert J. Twillie and Prof. Eustace P. McGargle.
All of those guys are Dutch.
And you’re Swedish, right?
Good guess.
Sure sure sure, just like they weren’t going to acquire Sean Murphy.
This coming from the same group that said they weren’t trading for Sean Murphy.
Not playing poker with these guys.
Who is need of a catcher?
75% of the league?
This reminds me of when the wsox traded for Kimbrell when they already had Hendriks. Why have two closers on the same team? It was a disaster.
Name a team who only has 1 catcher. Can’t? What’s wrong w/having 2 good ones?
He can DH a bit, play 1B once in a while to give Matt a break and let him DH and serve as the back up catcher. Still very valuable and could get a lot of playing time.
I can’t imagine A.A. is saying this as a bargaining ploy.
Okay, maybe I can.
I imagine Travis fills Contreras role. Catch a little, DH a lot.
There was no way AA was going to trade d’Arnaud, esp after giving up Contreras, but the inquiries tell you how utterly desperate teams are finding a catcher. If only Willson waited until AFTER the trade, but that was a game of chicken (if they didn’t trade Murphy).
Or simply they are waiting for a solid offer in order to trade him.
I’ve heard that line before. You can’t fool me twice.
Cootie mat
My intuition is telling me one of the catchers is going to miss significant time and Ozuna is going to slip into the DH. You really need two decent catchers on a team.
I hope not. I don’t want to see a repeat of 2021’s catcher of the week if Murphy has a significant injury
Yep TDA might get traded lol.
3 team trade:
CLE gets: TDA & Rosario (LF)
ATL gets: Rosario (SS), Perez (C), Taylor (OF)
KC gets: Ozuna, Plesac, prospect from ATL
Ozuna & Perez are bad contract swaps but Perez has a lot longer on his deal so KC throws in some money. Braves sign Benintendi for LF
ThatguyMH;
LOL
How long have you been a Braves fan?
That proposed trade makes no sense at all for either Cleveland or KC.
But it was funny enough to respond to.
Trading him to get under the luxury tax is surely not in their mind. He is a bargain and the catching/DH situation is the same as last year. They would be worse off then before they traded for Murphy if they traded Contreras AND Darnaud. The whole article is pointless really. They have no one else to DH but Ozuna (unless I were to believe he is gonna be the starter which, even if he does start out as the LF he is likely to lose the job to Rosario or anyone else on two legs.
i’d put rob the robot out in lf before ozuna heck i’d put lt. dan out there before ozuna
Adam Frazier just got 8mil. If Darnaud puts up anywhere near the numbers he’s put up recently he’s easily going to get that option picked up.
No one is expecting him to copy his outlier year.
It’s not just last year for Darnaud if you are meaning him. If you mean Frazier I agree. Darnaud was well worth 8 mil in 2021
Meant 2020. Had over 900 ops in short season. He’s had several years where he was worth what is the equivalent of 8mil in 2022 MLB money.
I expect him to basically repeat it if healthy. Look at his 2019 season. He had a 919 ops I’m over 150 at bats in 2020. He’s always been a decent hitter.
This article failed to mention that d’Arnaud’s trade value with his salary and age is probably very low. So this could be just a matter of not being able to trade him rather than not wanting to. Braves can do a lot better than having both catchers in their lineup on any given day. They should look to sign a bigger hitter to take DH at-bats.
Has a career 101 ops+ so even including his bad times he has been league average so how on the world does he have no trade value after we saw a backup catcher get 2 yrs/15 mil yesterday??? If he were on open market he would at least get 3/30 probably a tad bit more.
“Heading into the 2023 season, then, it appears as though Murphy and d’Arnaud will hold a timeshare behind the plate, with the universal designated hitter giving the Braves the opportunity to get both catchers in the lineup at times.”
This is a super wordy and unwieldy sentence.
“It appears that Murphy and d’Arnaud will share time behind the plate this coming season, with the universal designated hitter allowing the Braves the opportunity to sometimes have both catchers in the lineup.”
A lot easier to follow. Much fewer non-content words (the, in, to, as).