JK Lockhart

Let me post once more about all of this Contreras-Murphy discussion and hopefully move back to Georgia-Florida. 1. The trade was unnecessary. They had Travis d'Arnaud. They could have kept Contreras, a young and cheap player, since he had made the All-Star team in 2022, and have him be a DH-backup C option and see if he could develop more. There were strong indications even in 2022 that Contreras could hit (again, he made the All-Star team). Getting Murphy was overkill. 2. Probably a panic move due to the baserunning rules changes. 3. Signing Murphy immediately after acquiring him, before even seeing him in an Atlanta uniform, to such a long contract was a mistake. They were hoping to find their JT Realmuto. 4. Yes, Alex has had good trades and bad trades. He's not perfect. No one is. I'm not perfect in what I believe (or tweet), and you're not perfect in what you believe (or tweet). But identifying and breaking down the difference between Contreras and Murphy as Contreras has been an integral part of the Brewers rise to the World Series is relevant. It was a horrible trade. 5. I do not understand anyone taking up for Murphy. He cannot stay healthy, and he cannot hit. If you have a .194 batting average in the Major Leagues over three seasons, regardless of injuries, you're not a good MLB hitter. At $15 million, it makes the trade look awful. It is an albatross on the Braves payroll. I don't care if he's Johnny Bench behind the plate (he isn't). If you can't hit at least .200 over three seasons... well, there's just nothing good about that. 6. Finally, I think the fact the Braves have not been more successful following the World Series win is a damn shame. I believe it falls squarely on Anthopoulos. There have been some really bad decisions made in roster construction. It does not mean the Chris Sale trade was not highway robbery. Of course it was. It does not mean getting Mahle wasn't great. Of course it was. But to not be more successful in the playoffs - and have only one postseason series win (this year vs. the Phillies) is shameful. I FIRST blame the piss-poor ownership that cares more about the Battery profits than winning a World Series, and I've taken up a lot for Alex being handtied due to ownership. Seeing a player like Contreras you gave up on become a star is not easy, especially when the player you got and then overpaid for has been a huge disappointment.