Somehow, the Athletics’ trade involving Sean Murphy — a three-team deal with the Braves and Brewers — keeps looking worse over time. A recent article by Athletics on SI re-evaluated the trade and concluded that Oakland might have been better off simply cutting Murphy rather than trading him, given that the players they received in return have produced negative WAR.
The key return in that deal was outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who had an outstanding rookie year in 2023, swiping a record-breaking 67 bases — the most ever by an AL rookie. However, in 2024, injuries limited his impact, and when he did play, he struggled to get on base and didn’t show much power. As a result, he was sent to Triple-A early in spring training, and by April 2, he had been traded to the Dodgers.
It’s ironic that one of MLB’s most stacked teams could find a spot for Ruiz on their 40-man roster, while the rebuilding A’s couldn’t. The Dodgers, with depth at nearly every position, can afford to roster a player with one standout skill. The A’s, by contrast, are still trying to identify the core of their future, and just two years after being the centerpiece of the Murphy trade, Ruiz is no longer part of it.
In return for Ruiz, Oakland acquired Carlos Duran, a young reliever with a strong arm but serious control issues. On Sunday, the A’s designated Duran for assignment. It remains to be seen if another team will claim him, but his time with Oakland may be over almost as quickly as it began.
Duran didn’t exactly light it up in Triple-A Las Vegas. Over 27 innings across 15 appearances, he allowed 30 hits and 23 walks while posting an 8.00 ERA — despite recording 28 strikeouts.
As we pointed out last year, GM David Forst faces a tough job, constrained by ownership’s financial limitations. Unlike other teams who trade stars to spark a rebuild, the A’s often move players because they simply can’t afford to keep them. Other GMs are aware of this, which weakens Oakland’s bargaining position and leads to subpar returns.
This context explains why trades involving stars like Matt Chapman and Sean Murphy haven’t yielded much. While the team did acquire Shea Langeliers and Joey Estes in the Matt Olson trade, two solid players are a modest return for multiple All-Stars and a five-time Gold Glover.
These budgetary constraints are why the A’s ended up with Ruiz as the centerpiece of the Murphy trade — and why they traded him two years later for a reliever they DFA’d within months.
Oakland’s decision to move on from Duran, who’s still only 23, may reflect a more aggressive approach to managing the 40-man roster as they aim to return to contention. The club gave him a brief trial in the minors and majors before deciding to go another route.
There’s still a chance Duran clears waivers and remains with the organization off the 40-man roster, giving him more time to develop. That would be the best-case scenario. The worst? He ends up back with the Dodgers — and the A’s are left with nothing to show for trading away Ruiz, or even Murphy.