Brewers-Braves Trade Looks More Lopsided Than Ever as Contreras Shines in NLDS

The Milwaukee Brewers made one of the best trades in recent franchise history when they acquired William Contreras nearly four years ago. His performance this postseason is providing another reminder of that.

Contreras went 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk in Milwaukee's 4-3 loss against the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Tuesday. It was his second home run of the series after he also went deep in Game 1.

Second homer of the series for Wild Bill ‼️ https://t.co/679F8srPae pic.twitter.com/0Zn0Yg2VE2
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 7, 2026

The All-Star catcher arrived in Milwaukee as part of a massive three-team deal in December 2022.

William Contreras Has Outperformed Sean Murphy Since Trade

The nine-player, three-team deal was originally built around Atlanta's acquisition of Sean Murphy from the Athletics. Milwaukee received Contreras and minor league pitcher Justin Yeager from Atlanta, along with reliever Joel Payamps from the Athletics. The Brewers gave up outfielder Esteury Ruiz to the A's.

Murphy was considered the biggest prize at the time. He was coming off an 18-homer, 66-RBI season with the Athletics and had won a Gold Glove Award one year earlier. Contreras was 24 years old, and had just made his first All-Star team appearance. He hit .278 with 20 home runs and an .860 OPS in 97 games for Atlanta.

Since then, the two catchers have gone in very different directions. Contreras has hit .275 with a .792 OPS, 75 home runs and 340 RBIs across 593 regular-season games with Milwaukee. He has accumulated 15.3 WAR over those four seasons, including a career-high 5.0 WAR in 2024.

Murphy had an excellent first season in Atlanta, making the All-Star team in 2023. But injuries and declining production have limited his impact since. He hit .199 with a .709 OPS in 94 games in 2025 before batting .182 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and a .556 OPS across 110 at-bats during the 2026 regular season.

As the Braves continue to fight against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the postseason, Murphy has shown some signs of life, going 2-for-7 with a home run in Game 1. However, he was scratched from Atlanta's lineup for Game 3 on Tuesday after initially being penciled in as a designated hitter.

Ironically, Contreras wasn't happy about leaving Atlanta at the time. During a recent podcast appearance with former Braves teammate Ronald Acuña Jr., Contreras recalled being so upset by the Milwaukee trade that he stopped talking to his agent for three weeks and asked to be sent back to Atlanta.

"I just thought about the guys there because it was a vibe," Contreras said.

Full interview https://t.co/Z1pAmgXa2Y
— Master Flip | Phillip Feliz 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) October 6, 2026

It seems safe to say Contreras has found a new and (possibly) better vibe in Milwaukee as the team continues to face the Padres in a best-of-five series for a NLDS title. Through the first three games, Contreras has a .364 batting average with two home runs and a 1.371 OPS.

His biggest swing came in Game 1, when he broke a 2-2 tie with a seventh-inning solo home run that proved to be the difference in Milwaukee's 3-2 victory. He has reached base seven times in 14 plate appearances during the series so far.

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