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Cardinals: Why St. Louis should make Sean Murphy their next catcher
By Josh Jacobs
Sean Murphy is the perfect fit for St. Louis, and they need to make a strong play for him.
The St. Louis Cardinals are filling their catcher position for the first time in two decades after the retirement of future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina, and there have been so many different options floated out there this off-season. Out of all the catchers available, Sean Murphy is far and away the perfect fit for the Cardinals this off-season.
While fans are very familiar with free agent Willson Contreras, and the allure of the Toronto catchers is real, none of these options compare to what the Oakland Athletics’ catcher could bring to St. Louis in 2023 and beyond. Murphy played on the second-worst team in baseball in 2022, one that spent the last 12 months tearing apart their big league roster in order to prepare for a long-term rebuild. There has almost no reason to pay attention to the Athletics in 2022, except for their star catcher.
Derrick Goold reported that the Cardinals have discussed Murphy with the Athletics already, and it looks like the price will be steep for this player. The idea of putting together a significant prospect package for a player that many fans have not seen play and know little about can be worry some for many, but there is a reason why clubs like the Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, and Boston Red Sox have all checked in with Oakland about Murphy. Whoever secures the services of Murphy this off-season is acquiring a consensus top-5 catcher in all of baseball.
Here are the reasons why the Cardinals be going hard after Murphy, and what I believe it will take to bring him to St. Louis this off-season.