The Atlanta Braves have had a busy offseason to this point and have received many positive grades on the moves they have made so far. However, front office executive Alex Anthopoulos has been adamant that the Braves need to add another impact arm, specifically a starter, to help with rotation depth.
Atlanta could go about this one of two ways: either by signing a free agent starter on the open market, or by thinking about linking with another MLB team on a big offseason trade. There are many quality starter options in both markets, but what are the chances the Braves make a trade for Kansas City Royals starter Kris Bubic? And could catcher Sean Murphy be a good trade piece to pull off a deal?
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Braves Trade Idea Offloads Sean Murphy for Kris Bubic
In this trade idea, the Atlanta Braves link with the Kansas City Royals to acquire southpaw starter Kris Bubic in return for All-Star catcher Sean Murphy.
This All-Star trade swap would certainly help both franchises. For the Royals, with Salvador Perez moving primarily to DH, that would open up a spot for Sean Murphy to become the everyday catcher.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com also indicates that the Braves could make a splash in the trade market for a starting pitcher:
GettySean Murphy of the Atlanta Braves
“But coming off a season during which six starters missed at least five weeks, the Braves have reason to be looking at starters on both the free agent and trade markets.”
Sean Murphy’s role with Atlanta has changed due to injuries piling up and the emergence of Drake Baldwin, who won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2025. Murphy signed a six-year, $73 million deal in 2023, was named an All-Star in that same season, but has regressed at the plate ever since.
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How Kris Bubic Would Help the Braves’ Rotation?
Kris Bubic would help the Braves’ rotation with balance. Chris Sale and Joey Wentz are really the only southpaw options in a rotation filled with righties (Schwellenbach, Holmes, Strider, Lopez).
Bubic posted a 2.55 ERA in 2025 over 116.1 innings and 20 starts. He dealt with some injuries, but for the most part, he’s been a consistent pitcher over his career in terms of being able to take the mound. He’s bounced back and forth between starter and reliever, which the Braves could certainly experiment with, but the 28-year-old seemed to find his footing as a starter in 2025.
Another attractive part of the Royals’ All-Star starter is the fact that he is under team control for another season, as he’s still in his arbitration years.
If the Braves get off of Sean Murphy’s $73 million deal, that might also open the door for Atlanta to sign other productive free agents. In the past two seasons (2024-2025), Murphy has failed to appear in 100+ games and has hit below .200 in both seasons.
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Braves-Royals Trade Idea Lands Southpaw Starter for $73 Million All-Star