Grading the Sean Murphy trade

The trade: A three-team deal that lands C Sean Murphy with the Braves

Braves get: C Sean Murphy (from A’s)
Brewers get: C/DH William Contreras (from Braves), RHP Joel Payamps (from A’s), RHP Justin Yeager (from Braves)
A’s get: LHP Kyle Muller (from Braves), RHP Freddy Tarnok (from Braves), RHP Royber Salinas (from Braves), C Manny Pina (from Braves), OF Esteury Ruiz (from Brewers)

Maybe the simplest way to look at this trade: The Braves get the best player in Murphy, a strong two-way player who won a Gold Glove in 2021 and broke out with his best offensive season in 2022 — and if you get the best player in a trade, there’s a strong likelihood you’re going to end up winning the deal in the long run.

What’s intriguing here is the Braves already had two All-Star catchers on their roster in 2022, Travis d’Arnaud and Contreras (who started the All-Star Game at designated hitter but also started 57 games behind the plate for the Braves). So why trade six players for Murphy?