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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Jonah Heim #20 of the Atlanta Braves hits a double against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park on April 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Heather Barry/Getty Images)
If Drake Baldwin has not been able to be behind the plate for the Atlanta Braves, there has been a lot of roster shuffle on who has seen at-bats from the catcher spot in the Braves order.
With Sean Murphy still on the Injured List, Atlanta has had to go with a combination of Sandy Leon, Austin Wynns, and, recently, the Braves traded for Joey Bart.
Also recently, the Atlanta Braves traded AWAY catcher Jonah Heim to the Athletics. That has turned out to be somewhat of a bad deal, as Jonah Heim is excelling with the Athletics right now.
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Jonah Heim Has Displayed Immense Power with the Athletics
GettySACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 19: Jonah Heim #15 of the Athletics hits a game tying two run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park on June 19, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images)
MLB.com wrote (on May 4, 2026):
“The Athletics have acquired catcher Jonah Heim from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations, the club announced on Monday.”
“Heim, 30, was designated for assignment by the Braves. He was batting .231 with four doubles, one home run, a .311 on-base percentage, and a .721 OPS in 12 games as the backup catcher for Atlanta.”
The Braves-Athletics trade involving Jonah Heim was a reunion deal, as Heim made his MLB debut with the Athletics, but he is much more known for his All-Star services (2023) with the Texas Rangers.
Since the Braves traded Heim away, he has been excelling at the plate, but that should be no surprise considering where the Athletics play their home games. Almost every hitter in MLB should want to be traded to West Sacramento.
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Jonah Heim with the Athletics This Season
GettyPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 18: Jonah Heim #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after sliding safely into second after hitting a double against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park on April 18, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Heather Barry/Getty Images)
In 65 at-bats with the Athletics so far in 2026, Heim is batting .279 with five home runs, 17 hits, and an OPS+ of 142. His bWAR is also 0.8, whereas with Atlanta across 39 at-bats, his bWAR was in the negatives.
The thing about this trade, too, is that Atlanta received cash for Heim, so it’s not like there is another player to make the trade comparison with.
Obviously, the Braves front office could not foresee injuries to both Sean Murphy (upon his return), and Drake Baldwin later down the road, but still, it’s looking like the Athletics are clear beneficiaries after trading for Jonah Heim.
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TJ French covers the MLB for Heavy. TJ is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He has 2+ years of writing experience. Follow TJ French on X: @tj_french5 More about TJ French