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Sean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves might be in the market for another outfielder either before MLB Opening Day or shortly after the season begins. Opening Day for the Braves is just nine days away. With Atlanta enduring some unforeseen circumstances already to start this 2026 season, top executive Alex Anthopoulos should make a meaningful trade to help with Atlanta’s depth, especially in the outfield.
Due to Jurickson Profar’s 162-game PED ban, that leaves the Braves with the affordability to go out and acquire a hitter in some capacity. MLB free agency is pretty much over, but there are still potential options, like St. Louis Cardinals‘ outfielder Lars Nootbaar, on the trade market. Could the Braves consider offloading Sean Murphy to the Cardinals in exchange for Lars Nootbaar?
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MLB Trade Idea Sends Lars Nootbaar to Atlanta
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The St. Louis Cardinals have pretty much already gone full fire sale mode this offseason in preparation for a rebuild, so why not make one more impact trade?
In this hypothetical trade idea, the Atlanta Braves acquire outfielder Lars Nootbaar in exchange for catcher Sean Murphy and SS prospect Alex Lodise.
Considering the Cardinals have one of the worst catcher groups in MLB, trading for Sean Murphy, who is still rehabbing a hip injury, would add some depth behind the plate. Atlanta, although nothing has been said publicly (obviously), don’t really have a need for Murphy anymore, and getting off his six-year, $73 million contract would be a good thing.
Murphy has failed to appear in 100+ games or hit above .200 in each of the last two seasons. However, his veteran clubhouse presence and power upside for a catcher could benefit the Cardinals.
As for acquiring Lars Nootbaar, this would be a sneaky good addition for Atlanta. And Nootbaar could play the versatile outfielder role with the Braves, where other outfielders like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Yastrzemski could either take a day off or DH, and Nootbaar could fill in their outfield spot.
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Lars Nootbaar’s Production as a Hitter
By no means is Lars Nootbaar the most complete hitter in MLB, but the Braves wouldn’t need him to be. He’s consistently been a 12-14 home run hitter his entire career. Over five seasons in MLB, Nootbaar has a .242 batting average, 58 home runs, 109 OPS+, and 194 career runs batted in.
Pair that with his ability to play all three outfield positions, and you have a pretty good depth piece.
He’s also under team control for one more season, which allows Atlanta the luxury to further assess if they would want him to be a Brave for the long term.
The biggest piece in this mock trade idea is the fact that reports indicated Atlanta would be freeing up nearly $15 million in salary due to the Profar suspension, and that could open the door for the Braves to bring in another slugger, or even another impact starter.
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