The post from 680 The Fan was short, and it carried the whole argument in two sentences. “The Braves gave up William Contreras for Sean Murphy,” the Atlanta sports radio station wrote on X. “Now Contreras is a World Series MVP.”
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras won the award Wednesday night, after they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field to claim the first World Series title in franchise history. The grievance already has an outlet in Atlanta.
What kept the deal in the conversation is that the Atlanta Braves did not lose Contreras to free agency. They chose to move him in December 2022, in the three-team trade that brought Sean Murphy from Oakland. Fans reacted to 680 The Fan’s post on X, with one fan noting, “Fire Alex Anthopoulos.”
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Milwaukee received William Contreras plus relievers Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager; the Athletics got Esteury Ruiz and a package of prospects that included Kyle Muller, Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas. Atlanta’s logic was defense.
Contreras had graded badly behind the plate early in his career, and Murphy arrived as a Gold Glove catcher coming off the best season of his career. Murphy made the All-Star team in his first Atlanta season, then the injuries started.
He has batted .194 with a .656 OPS since the start of 2024 and averaged a little over 66 games per season across that stretch, while Contreras made two more All-Star teams and won a World Baseball Classic with Venezuela in March. Atlanta’s answer is Drake Baldwin, who has since become an All-Star catcher there, but the comparison would look different if Murphy had stayed healthy.
William Contreras Makes Bold Claim After World Series Win
The trade debate was not the only thing Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras settled this week. After winning the Willie Mays World Series MVP trophy, a Venezuelan flag draped around his shoulders, he boldly placed himself among the game’s elite catchers.
“I don’t want to offend any of the other catchers in the league. The last thing I want to do is offend any of them. But sitting up here today, champion of the world, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the league,” Contreras said. “Today, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the world,” he added.
Milwaukee holds a $15.5 million option on Contreras for 2027, and he is eligible for free agency after that season, which is why The Athletic raised the possibility that the Brewers could trade him rather than lose him for nothing. For Atlanta, the problem is simpler: the catcher it gave up is 28, has two rings, and just won the MVP award for someone else.
Edited by Kaushani Chatterjee
