The Yankees could be targeting Catcher Sean Murphy from the Oakland A's

Sean Murphy could very well be on the Yankees' radar. In 2022, the Yankees possessed one of baseball's top catching staff members. They came in at No. 4 in terms of fWAR and No. 1 in terms of FRM, but they struggled on offense, coming in at No. 6 in terms of wRC+.

Although the Oakland Athletics are still in the midst of their rebuild, they do boast one of the best catchers in all of baseball. 5.1 fWAR, 122 wRC+, and 8.1 fielding runs above average were all parts of Sean Murphy's season that just ended. He's been a model of reliability at the position since 2020 and is one of only three catchers to finish with a fWAR above 5.

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"Rosenthal: “The Yankees, for example — could be in the mix for [Sean] Murphy.”" - MichiganYankees

Yankees after Sean Murphy...

Defense is the main worry with any catching change; after last season, they cannot go backwards defensively. After one of the best defensive seasons ever seen from a catcher, Jose Trevino was awarded the AL Gold Glove. The excellent defender Kyle Higashioka was also nominated for a Gold Glove award, had he played a full season.

Sean Murphy, who has established himself as one of the sport's top defensive catchers since joining the league, isn't too far behind. Since 2020, Murphy has produced exceptional numbers behind the plate, sustaining the Yankees' superior catching defense.

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"The Yankees could be in the mix for Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy." - GloverDarius

Sean Murphy, likewise, has a superior pop time; his 1.89 pop time places him at the 96th percentile. His outstanding defensive talents allowed him to stop nearly 30% of baserunners who attempted to run on him. He also has a rocket arm, averaging 86.1 mph on throws (10th).

Teams will attempt to steal more frequently in 2023 due to the larger bases, and Murphy is significantly better at managing the run game than Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka.

Yankees to look for a trade to get Sean Murphy?

Given that Murphy still has three years to exercise control, the cost will be high. He ranks second among catchers in terms of FWAR since 2020, yet catchers are a position where offensive play is uncommon. In light of this, the Yankees will need to start a transaction by looking at the best players in their farm system.

The Yankee organization's most valuable infielder outside of Volpe is Oswald Peraza, who is also likely expendable. Anthony Volpe is banging on the door as he seeks to assume the role of the SS of the future. It is debatable whether or not the Yankees should pay this steep a price given that Oakland could reasonably demand more.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Gaelin Leif