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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 09: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates his score in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers with Sean Murphy #12 at Dodger Stadium on May 09, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Sometimes in Major League Baseball, as a front office, the top-ranking executives are going to dish out contracts that they end up regretting. There are several examples of this across the league, and it happens almost every season.

For the Atlanta Braves, one contract that is starting to look unpromising for the future is injured catcher Sean Murphy’s deal. Murphy is still recovering from a broken finger and may return sometime around the MLB All-Star break. Sean Murphy being on a six-year, $73 million deal may be blocking Drake Baldwin’s upcoming extension. When the Braves traded for Murphy and then signed him, Atlanta thought he would be the catcher of the future. However, Murphy has had a hard time staying healthy and is still owed ~roughly~ $45 million by the Braves.

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Sean Murphy Still Owed A Lot of Cash

GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MAY 04: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves at bat against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on May 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

According to Sean Murphy’s Spotrac page, he is owed $15 million per season by the Atlanta Braves until 2028. He then has a club option for 2029, but if Murphy doesn’t stay on the field, there’s no chance the Braves will pick up that option.

MLB.com writer Rick Farlow recently wrote (about Murphy’s injury):

“Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy is currently on the 60-day injured list due to a fractured left middle finger. He suffered the injury on a catcher’s interference play against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because of this timeline, he is expected to be sidelined until at least mid-July.”

Sean Murphy began the 2026 season on the Injured List with a hip injury that sidelined him for the last two months of the 2025 season.

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Sean Murphy with the Braves

GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 29: Sean Murphy #12 of the Atlanta Braves at bat during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Sean Murphy has shown a decent amount of power display with the Atlanta Braves, but he has not played in more than 100 games in each of the last two seasons, and Murphy has also failed to hit above .200 in 2024 and 2025.

Last season, 2025, Murphy hit 16 home runs in 94 games, which is great for a catcher, but the injuries limited his overall impact on the Braves campaign.

Over his four-year tenure with the Braves, Sean Murphy was named an MLB All-Star in 2023, and has 47 home runs in 278 games played.

In 2026, Murphy appeared in just four games (back in May), and recorded just one hit, so he’s already behind the 8-ball in terms of reaching the 100 games threshold and having a batting average above the Mendoza line.

Regardless, the bottom line is that the Braves still owe Sean Murphy a lot of money, and if he doesn’t return and produce with the bat, Atlanta may be forced into a difficult decision with Murphy.

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