Wow. I didn’t see this coming. Well, we generally knew the likelihood of Sean Murphy getting dealt this offseason. But to the Braves? No, that’s not something I expected.
Then again, the A’s and Braves did get together on the Matt Olson deal last offseason. And one completed deal tends make future pairings even more likely (not only is there an increased familiarity with each other’s organization/preferences, but it also suggest a philosophical value-match).
Anyway, we’ll wait to see what the return is, because that can have huge ramifications one way or another. For example, if the Braves included middle infielder Vaughn Grissom in this package, then the odds of Swanson returning to Atlanta just ticked back up. Stay tuned for fallout.
In the meantime, DANG IT. Murphy was one very attractive, albeit unlikely, path for the Cubs to add a big bat this offseason in the event they don’t land Carlos Correa. And, again, if Swanson to the Braves just became more likely, this is a double-dip on how badly the Cubs need Correa.
Oh, and duh: Even more obvious, the Cubs now REALLY need to land Christian Vázquez.
UPDATE: Okay, here we go. It’s a big three-team trade with catcher William Contreras (Willson’s brother) heading to Milwaukee, and Manny Pina heading to Oakland. Yes, the Cubs will now be cornered by Contreras brothers in St. Louis and Milwaukee. Here’s hoping Brewers SS Willy Adames is going to the Braves, because they totally need a shortstop now that they’ve lost out on Swanson.
UPDATE II: Here’s the full trade: