Why the William Contreras trade is more painful for Braves fans than Freddie Freeman's departure

Atlanta Braves fans have had the misfortune of watching several franchise legends like Freddie Freeman, Max Fried and Dansby Swanson depart in free agency in recent years, but what if I told you that none of those departures stings more than the Braves trading William Contreras away?

This might sound crazy, as Contreras was good, not great, in Atlanta, and the Braves have Drake Baldwin entrenched behind the plate for the long-term future, but we're seeing why Braves fans should miss Contreras more than Freeman this postseason.

The Braves never got the most out of William Contreras

First and foremost, Contreras has developed from a pretty good player to one of the best all-around catchers in the sport. When with the Braves, Contreras was a force at the plate, but struggled mightily behind the plate, which led to the Braves to prioritize a sure thing defensively in his place, Sean Murphy.

With Milwaukee, though, not only is Contreras still an amazing hitter, but he's blossomed into a high-end defender behind the plate, too. He's been as potent as any catcher with the new ABS system, and in Game 1 of the World Series, has thrown out two would-be base-stealers as of this writing, including a key one at third base to end Jacob Misiorowski's outing.

This isn't a Freeman situation. He never gave the Braves elite production. Had Contreras been this in Atlanta, there's no way they would've considered trading him away. Now, they have to watch him star on the biggest stage for an NL foe.

The William Contreras trade has turned into a disaster for the Braves

Trading a player who'd immediately develop into a star elsewhere is one thing. I mean, this happens all the time and is not always easy to predict (I certainly didn't expect Contreras to become the defender he's turned into). Trading a player who'd perform better on his new team while also getting the short end of the stick in that trade is another story, though.

The Braves traded Contreras and thought they were upgrading in the form of Sean Murphy, who looked like an all-around star with the Athletics. Murphy was an All-Star with the Braves in his debut season in Atlanta back in 2023, but he struggled mightily down the stretch that year, and hasn't been the same since.

Murphy has hit .194 with a .656 OPS since the start of the 2024 campaign, and most alarmingly, has averaged a shade over 66 regular-season games in that three-year span. Murphy has rarely been healthy for the Braves, and when he's been able to play, he hasn't been good enough.

And sure, Drake Baldwin being who he is helps ease the blow of Murphy struggling, but the Braves are at their best when Murphy is catching and Baldwin is their DH. Wouldn't they be much scarier if Contreras were behind the plate with Baldwin at DH? That'd have been quite the tandem.

The Braves replaced Freddie Freeman with a younger star at the same position

The easiest reason why Braves fans shouldn't be too upset about Freeman wearing Dodger Blue is that Alex Anthopoulos immediately replaced him with Matt Olson, a younger, cheaper option at the same position. Olson isn't the pure hitter Freeman is, but he's averaged 37 home runs and 106 RBI in his five regular seasons in Atlanta, and he has a chance to win a second Gold Glove award in a Braves uniform this offseason.

Yes, Freeman has hit for a higher average, and he's certainly had more memorable postseason moments, but Olson is still putting up star-caliber numbers while Freeman is in decline. He's also five years younger and under contract for several more years.

This might be tough for some Braves fans to admit, but Olson has been almost as good as Freeman since Olson took Freeman's spot in Atlanta, and certainly projects to be the better player in 2027 and beyond. I'd argue the Braves got the best of this swap.

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