The Atlanta Braves called up Sandy Leon on Monday to open the door to designate outfielder Stuart Fairchild for assignment. Having the offensive liability on the roster was redundant with Luke Williams and Eli White on the bench.
Turning the page and giving a second option at the catcher position is the right decision. One that is inviting speculation about what could be coming next for the Braves. It isn't just the recently benched Marcell Ozuna who is inviting trade speculation. There is reason to wonder if Leon's promotion isn't just about adding depth at catcher.
Rookie Drake Baldwin has had an incredible start to his career, forcing the team to bench Ozuna and alternate Baldwin and Murphy between the catcher and the designated hitter position. While trading Ozuna is the clear path, the Braves aren't going to get anything in return for an injured player who has fallen below league average at the plate. Trading Murphy could invite meaningful change that helps set the Braves up for a better 2026 season.
Braves Could be Considering Sean Murphy Trade After Promoting Sandy Leon
Murphy's contract hasn't aged as well as expected despite the clutch production and consistent stellar defense. In a position that is difficult to find a consistent level of production, the catcher would have an incredible market despite his limited offensive consistency. With this in mind, the Braves' calling up Leon could signal they are entertaining making this move. The simple explanation of promoting the veteran backstop as injury prevention could be true as well; however, it is a less interesting possibility.
In 63 games (206 at-bats) with the Braves in 2025, Murphy is slashing .243/.328/.519 with 16 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 21 walks with a 90.3 mph average exit velocity. In other words, he has the type of bat World Series contenders would be interested in adding before the July 31 trade deadline.
The reasons to trade Murphy simply boil down to opening up salary space for another position and giving Baldwin the ability to grow behind the plate. It could help set the Braves up for next season as well if the team can return a contributor at another position. Things aren't going to improve with this current roster because even when the starting rotation was healthy, the group wasn't getting the job done.
With this in mind, Leon's call-up might signal the Braves are willing to listen to trade offers regarding Murphy. Doing so makes a level of sense, especially if the Atlanta front office keeps an open mind in what is a lost 2025 season.