Athletics general manager reflects on trades with Braves.

The Braves and Athletics have made a couple big trades recently.

“I told Alex to lose my number,” A’s general manager David Forst joked.

Anthopoulos acquired first baseman Matt Olson in the spring of 2022, then catcher Sean Murphy that winter. Anthopoulos signed both to long-term extensions. They are key pieces in Atlanta’s core.

The A’s weren’t going to pay them. They are rebuilding. They wanted prospects.

The organization that traded away both players isn’t bitter.

“I mean, you can’t help but be happy for both guys,” Forst said. “Those are players we drafted, we identified, we developed, and (they) had major-league success with us. You have a long relationship with guys, so just because you trade them doesn’t mean you root against them. Happy for Oly the day he got there and got paid, happy for Murph to go through the playoff race this year and have the success he did.

“I think we’re human. You can root for players that you have to trade away.”

Of Murphy, Forst said: “I do remember seeing him very shortly after the draft and just being blown away that we got this guy in the third round. Like, you could just see it – the physicality, the swing, the throwing. Immediately, you see him in Arizona at our complex and wonder, ‘How the heck did this guy get to the third round?’”

On the impact of Olson’s leadership to a clubhouse, Forst said: “I think it’s huge. It’s hard, obviously, to quantify. And maybe, to some extent, you don’t know the impact until you don’t have that kind of guy around, necessarily. But yeah, Matt is not a vocal guy, but he is your sort of prototypical lead-by-example (player), and will outwork everybody, and cares more than everybody. He’s great to have around.”

In the Murphy deal, Atlanta traded away lefty Kyle Muller, who turned in a 7.60 ERA over 21 games – 13 of them starts – this year. He had a 1.961 WHIP. And he was the most MLB-ready prospect the Braves gave up in the deal.

“I think Kyle went through what a lot of young pitchers go through,” Forst said. “Sort of the high of winning opening night against Ohtani, and then the typical ups and downs, and obviously having to go to Triple A, and go back and forth. I don’t think his path is unusual for a young starting pitcher. I think the stuff is really good. Obviously, he looks like a big-league pitcher, there’s physical talent there. I think it’s gonna be a matter of whether he can put it together at the big-league level.”