Sean Murphy ranked as 37th most valuable trade chip

There is no question that Sean Murphy is a valuable trade chip for the Oakland A’s. The question is just how much value other teams should place upon him.

Fortunately, Fangraphs has provided an answer. They have ranked Murphy as their 37th most valuable trade chip, bumping him up a spot from their earlier incarnation of the list.

Oakland A’s could get haul for Sean Murphy

As Fangraphs noted, Murphy’s solid bat and power would make him an average enough first baseman, but he provides excellent production as a catcher. Add in his impressive defense and pitch framing skills, and Murphy could be considered one of the best overall catchers in the game.

But Fangraphs also noted that the defensive portion of his value can change from year to year. While the likes of Jacob Stallings and Austin Nola have seen their value decline as the defensive metrics are not nearly as kind as in past years, they are not the type of hitter that Murphy is either.

Ultimately, that offense is what will drive Murphy’s market. He has emerged as the A’s best hitter this season, posting a solid .245/.320/.429 batting line with 11 homers and 24 doubles over his 364 plate appearances. Murphy is also just entering his hypothetical prime as he is 27 years old, which added to his remaining years of team control, make him a valuable asset.

It is possible that Fangraphs is underrated the A’s catcher. Their concerns about defensive volatility and whether or not he will continue to walk at his current rate are valid. But those concerns also ignore how rare it is to find a catcher capable of producing above average offense while possessing Gold Glove caliber defense.

The Oakland A’s could get an impressive haul for Sean Murphy. According to Fangraphs, he is the 37th move valuable trade chip in the majors.