The San Francisco Giants' new backup catcher has been one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching since 2019. Tom Murphy, who has reportedly agreed to a two-year, $8.25M deal with the SF Giants with a club option for a third year, is a lefty masher who's a perfect complement to Giants primary catcher Patrick Bailey. Murphy's main issue has been staying on the field. But when he's been out there, he's been a forced to be reckoned with against southpaws.
The ramifications are plentiful. First of all, the Giants' addition of Murphy—on a multiyear pact, no less—likely means it's the end of the line for Joey Bart with the SF Giants. Bart is importantly out of minor league options, meaning he can no longer be optioned without being exposed to waivers. The Giants' lack of faith in Bart has been evident for years, and their signing of Murphy seemingly seals his fate. Bart will likely be traded at some point before Opening Day. (He has little trade value, for what it's worth).
Blake Sabol will also feel the impact of this signing. Last season, because he was a Rule 5 selection, Sabol had the luxury of needing to stay in the majors all season or else be offered back to the Pirates. The SF Giants clearly wanted to avoid that scenario, so Sabol spent the entire season in MLB. Now that that's over, however, Sabol will have a full slate of minor league options. Meaning he likely becomes the Giants' third catcher, with the fact that he has three option years remaining being a huge plus. Sabol showed promise with the bat vs. RHP, and his framing was solid, but he needs to work on his ball blocking, which was a significant issue.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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