Giants, A’s discussed Luciano-for-Murphy trade last offseason

Report: Giants, A’s discussed Luciano-for-Murphy trade last offseason

According to a report, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics engaged in talks last offseason regarding a potential trade involving players Sean Murphy and Marco Luciano. This information originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area.

After the Oakland Athletics traded Sean Murphy to the Atlanta Braves in December of last year, the talented catcher experienced considerable success in the National League and earned a spot on his first MLB All-Star team in 2023.

While it remains uncertain how Murphy would have performed with the Giants in San Francisco, it is reported that a trade involving him almost materialized.

According to a column by Andrew Baggarly from The Athletic, the Giants were actively involved in trade discussions with the Athletics for Murphy. San Francisco was willing to include their promising infield prospect, Marco Luciano, in the potential deal. However, the Athletics were more interested in acquiring Giants pitching phenom Kyle Harrison.

In the end, Murphy was instead traded to the Braves as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Milwaukee Brewers. The Athletics received several talented players in the trade, including Freddy Tarnok, Royber Salinas, Kyle Muller, Manny Piña, and Esteury Ruiz.

Following the trade, the Braves signed Murphy to a lucrative six-year, $73 million contract extension. Murphy proved to be a valuable asset for Atlanta, contributing 21 home runs and an .843 OPS during the 2023 MLB season, which helped the Braves secure a spot in the playoffs.

The Giants, who struggled offensively throughout the disappointing 2023 campaign, could have greatly benefited from Murphy’s firepower behind the plate.

However, the Giants have high hopes for rookie catcher Patrick Bailey, who is widely regarded as one of the best young defensive players in the game with significant offensive potential. Additionally, the Giants see Marco Luciano as their future shortstop after his debut in July, and Kyle Harrison has shown promise as a top rotation pitcher alongside Logan Webb.

The trade that the Athletics did complete for Murphy yielded positive results as well. Esteury Ruiz, a speedy rookie, made a significant impact by breaking the AL rookie record for stolen bases in a season.

While it’s intriguing to imagine what could have been with Murphy in a Giants uniform, the past is in the past. The Giants now look ahead to their most significant offseason yet, which includes the search for a new manager and potentially pursuing the biggest free-agent target in MLB history.

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