Yes, I know. You want to hear about the relievers. But first, let’s meet the deadline acquisition who arrives with the least fanfare, John Ryan Murphy. Here’s what you need to know.

The Trade

Atlanta traded cash considerations to Arizona for C John Ryan Murphy. Murphy had a 2019 salary of $900,000, and is eligible for his second round of arbitration this offseason.

 

John Ryan Murphy

Murphy was a 2nd round pick by the Yankees in 2009 and made his Yankee debut in 2013. Due to a pretty stacked depth chart (led, coincidentally, by Brian McCann), Murphy never could get a foothold on the Yankee roster despite some stretches of success. After 2015, New York traded him to Minnesota for Aaron Hicks, a move that worked out nicely for the Yankees. With the Twins, his bat collapsed at both the major and minor league levels, and the Twins traded him to Arizona in mid-2017. Other than being CC Sabathia‘s 3000th strikeout victim, Murphy’s Diamondbacks career wasn’t heavy on highlights.

It’s hard to draw conclusions from what is definitely a small sample of major league playing time, but there is one curious thing about Murphy’s batting line over the past two years compared to what came before:
2013-2017: 76 PA per HR, 24.7% K-rate
2018-2019: 22 PA per HR, 33.9% K-rate

This is the change of a man embracing the fly ball revolution.

Before 2018, Murphy talked about his new approach, and it has generally worked for him. Of course, there are degrees to success. Murphy’s reinvention into a HR threat has increased his value, and it probably will extend his career, but he still has a .196/.246/.385 line since 2017. The 13 HR he’s hit in that time are nice, but he still doesn’t get on base enough to justify regular playing time.

Luckily, Atlanta didn’t trade for Murphy with regular playing time in mind. While Murphy’s acquisition was likely due to the fact Atlanta was on the verge of trading Alex Jackson, a trade that evolved in its late stages, Murphy still serves a purpose for this organization. He’ll presumably head to Gwinnett and wait for an injury or September 1 to head to debut for the Braves. Every contender needs a 3rd catcher in September, and having Murphy on the roster will allow Tyler Flowers or Brian McCann, on their nights off, to serve as pinch-hitters.

That sounds an awful lot like a defensive replacement, but how is Murphy’s defense? It’s good! Murphy is a capable pitch framer, and he’s good at blocking those pitches in the dirt. In September, he can come in as a replacement for the two older catchers and reduce their innings loads. I’m sure Alex Jackson would have been tabbed for that duty, and he still might be, but Murphy gives Atlanta a veteran option who can sock the occasional homer if they prefer.

Murphy likes the ball in, by the way:

 

 

Final Thoughts

The Murphy acquisition isn’t likely to be a consequential one for the 2019 Atlanta Braves, but it’s easy to see how he could help in September or, in the case of an injury, beyond. He’s a good defender who has committed himself to trying to hit fastballs out of the park, and while that hasn’t turned him into a starter, it has made him useful.