6:54pm: The contract is a three-year deal worth $37.5MM, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (Twitter link).
4:25pm: The Nationals have agreed to a three-year deal with second baseman Daniel Murphy, ESPN’s Jim Bowden reports (via Twitter). The deal will become official once Murphy passes a physical, as per FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal. Murphy is represented by the ACES agency.
Washington’s interest in Murphy was first reported by MLB.com’s Bill Ladson last week. The Nats have been looking for infield help for much of the winter, as they were finalists for Ben Zobrist’s services, had talks with Howie Kendrick and were on the verge of acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Reds before Phillips declined to waive his no-trade clause without a contract extension.
Murphy, who turns 31 on April 1, hit .281/.322/.449 with a career-best 14 homers over 538 plate appearances in 2015. A 13th-round pick for the Mets in the 2006 draft, Murphy developed into a very solid big leaguer who has posted 12.2 fWAR/9.6 bWAR over the last five years. Mets fans will forever remember Murphy’s contributions in the 2015 postseason, as he posted a whopping 1.462 OPS and seven home runs over 39 PA in the NLDS and NLCS, a performance that earned him the NLCS MVP Award. Murphy became the first player in baseball history to homer in six consecutive postseason games.
In Murphy, the Nationals add a player who provides good pop for a middle infielder and also a versatile defender who play third, first and (on a limited basis) left as well as the keystone. In fact, according to metrics like UZR/150 and Defensive Runs Saved, second base is actually Murphy’s worst defensive position. Since Anthony Rendon can also play both second and third, it’s possible the Nats could use Murphy at the hot corner.
Regardless of who plays second, the signing ensures that Danny Espinosa will take over at shortstop until top prospect Trea Turner is ready for the big leagues. Murphy could also spell Ryan Zimmerman at first base against the occasional right-handed starter. In any case, Murphy’s multi-positional ability gives manager Dusty Baker a lot of flexibility in arranging lineups and late-game situations. Perhaps most importantly, Murphy also adds a much-needed left-handed bat to Washington’s lineup — Murphy and Bryce Harper are currently the only left-handed hitters projected to play everyday roles for the Nationals.
There wasn’t too much public buzz about Murphy’s free agent market before the Nats emerged, as the Rockies, Dodgers and Mets all had some interest but in somewhat limited fashion. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked Murphy 17th on his list of the winter’s top 50 free agents and predicted he’d land a four-year/$56MM contract. It could be that Murphy’s market was impacted by the number of notable infielders being dealt this offseason. The three teams noted in Dierkes’ list (the Angels, White Sox and Yankees), for example, all addressed infield needs in trades for the likes of Andrelton Simmons, Yunel Escobar, Brett Lawrie, Todd Frazier and Starlin Castro.
Since Murphy rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets, New York will receive a compensation pick between the first and second rounds of the 2016 draft. The Nationals, in turn, will have to surrender their first-round pick (17th overall) the draft but they may end up taking only a minor slide down the draft board since they have two QO free agents of their own. Washington already received a compensation round pick when Jordan Zimmermann signed with the Tigers and they could receive another if Ian Desmond signs elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Wierzbicki/USA Today Sports Images
It is not the worst move in the world. He can play 2b and 1b when Zim gets hurt. However, I am far from excited. His defense is no bueno.
Well, as they say, the hope is he will drive in more runs than he gives up.
Well, he really can’t play 2B. He better hit like a maniac.
Look at him as depth. He can play 1B/2B/3B adequately, which is great to have on a team with Rendón and Zimmerman regularly struggling with injuries. When your “bench/utility” guy can give quality Major League at bats, you’re doing just fine.
Yeah, it was a steal for the Nats.
He will DH in the interleague games, and if they make it to the world series.
He’s a better than average hitter with elite contact rates who plays 3 positions. He’s also a fantastic clubhouse guy. He will give the Nats a ton of flexibility and depth.
He’s perfect for Harper. Congrats, Nats!
I’d rather have the 17th pick.
The 17th pick is not going to help the Nats win the 2016 WS. Murphy might.
A breakout MVP season from Harper and the best on-paper rotation in the MLB couldn’t even help the Nats win the division last year, let alone the World Series. I highly doubt Daniel Murphy is going to put them over the top.
So you think the 17th pick in the draft is that over the top piece? The key word in my response is MIGHT. And I guarantee that Murphy will contribute more to the 2016 team than the 17th pick in the draft. But regardless, I never said he was the key piece to a World Series dynasty or anything. He could be a nice piece though for a team that a lot of people picked to win the WS last year.
That is a foolish thing to guarantee. Not sure if you’ve seen Murphy play much (in NJ here so I have) but he is literally one of the worse defensive players in the league, and getting worse, like geometrically. If his bat slows down, which could easily happen during this contract as he is into his 30s, he could well be a net negative for the team. So there is a very real possibility that he could contributes less to a 2016 WS (or more negatively, to be exact) than the 2016 #17 pick. Which could have ended up being the #16 or #15 pick if certain teams (like the Orioles) sign QO free agents.
Then there’s also the cost of other players that they could have signed instead of Murphy. Like a centerfielder. Like Denard Span, the guy who had he been healthy as he was the previous two years, could have helped push the Nats into the playoffs, like he did the previous year.
So again, even though I actually like the Murphy signing if mostly due to all the health question marks the Nats have throughout their infield, his being a good signing and helping the team isn’t something you should guarantee.
Murphy has been an active major league player for 7 years. The least WAR he has accumulated in those 7 years is a 1.3 and that was in 49 games in his rookie year. He averages about 2.0 WAR per season and has never been a negative. So I stand by my “foolish” statement because the evidence supports it. In 2016 Daniel Murphy will contribute more to the Washington Nationals than the 2016 #17 pick would have. I have no idea why everybody is pulling things out like signing someone else or whatever. It has literally nothing to do with my original statement. If you disagree, fine, you should still have a happy life. They do say that ignorance is bliss.
Fangraphs actually has Murphy as a 1.0 defensively, while Walker is a minus 4.7 with Murphy with a slightly higher WAR overall and ranked 9th in the MLB.
I completely agree. If he cost a draft pick, then I’d rather have the draft pick.
I’m too lazy to look but I’m pretty sure Roy Halladay was a 17th overall pick of the Toronto Blue Jays way back when. I wouldn’t give up that pick unless I could get him at a real bargain. He’s not an impact player.
There’s also been players taken in the top 10 who have amounted to nothing. For a team in win-now mode, signing Murphy is the right move, if not a bit curious. For a team rebuilding or always restricted by their cap, signing a player attached with a QO is not always the right move.
Doesn’t matter. Any pick after the top 10 has about a 10-15% chance of ever becoming a successful major leaguer.
Yep he was and so was Cole Hamels, but there were also 17 guys that never made the big leagues, 13 definitely will never make it and 4 still might. I assume Murphy will be worth 2.0 WAR for each season which total 6.0 WAR. Only 12 of the 51 #17 picks in history have put up more than 6.0 WAR for their entire career, let alone three years. Sure you could hit a Halladay or a Hamels, but you also have a 75% chance of not getting what you would get out of Murphy. The gamble is not worth it if you are in contention this year.
I don’t what percentage of the first round picks after number 15 make it to the majors, but I would think it’s low. Nats are in a win now mode, this is a good signing. Plus they still have picks for Zimmerman, and possibally Desmond.
There are 2 things that are true here, draft picks and the playoffs are outlier. There are some great players that come in early, middle, and late rounds of draft. The playoffs in most sports are money makers, and really don’t indicate the best team wins. Most great players continue to improve and adjust to every level of play, predicting who will do that is next to impossible. Prospects get GM’s fired.
The 2015 Nats weren’t deep and had a lot of clubhouse issues that prevented them from playing up to their actual talent level. Murph, along with Dusty, are fantastic clubhouse guys, and Murph can provide quality depth at multiple positions. The Nats are definitely a stronger team after making this move, and it goes beyond what you see on paper.
One player doesn’t win a World Series. Believe me, if the Nats win the World Series, it won’t be just because of Murphy.
You guys are reading way more into my comment than is actually there. I said that Murphy would contribute more toward helping them win the 2016 WS than the #17 pick. I never said Murphy was the missing link to a championship team. The Nats window is open now and by the time the 17 pick is ready that window might be shut. Therefore Murphy is more likely to help Washington to a championship than an unknown #17 pick.
Lol 1 player almost won the WS for the mets and the nats just signed him. Plenty of players have gotten a lucky streak and gotten there teams championships. Then some sap team always pays them
Keyword “almost.” It didn’t happen, and the logic that one player carries a team all the way through in MLB is flawed.
There is absolutely no way Murphy carries that same success in every future postseason he plays in. He’s an average hitter who just got in a big run, nothing more. Don’t expect him to carry the team all the time, because it’s not happening.
No, one player doesn’t win a WS, but arguably, Murphy lost the WS for the Mets with his butcher play at 2B.
Nothing will with that rotation.
Neither is having Dusty Baker as manager. They’re already screwed.
Does this mean the mets move up a spot in the draft or they get the 17th pick and their own picks.
Mets get a pick between the first and 2nd round and the Nationals forfeit their pick.
I believe under the new(ish) rules that the pick is eliminated and whoever would pick 18th moves up and so on. Then the compensation picks come after the final regular pick.
The Nats lose the 17th pick and everyone with a pick between 18-30 move up one. Then the Mets will receive a pick somewhere between pick 31 and the Comp A round.
Right now the pick is #29 but it could be as low as #35 depending on who signs free agents.
Mets will pick right around #29/#30 for Murphy.
Good pick up. Needed a lefty bat to compliment Bryce Harper and this really deepens a lineup and infield that had a lack of depth due to injury problems a season ago.
Nice signing by the Nats! Will be interested to see what they paid. Already seeing that it’s 3 years is good for the Nats.
Better than trading for Phillips IMO.
Depends on what the price for Phillips was. If he cost less prospect wise than the 17th pick, then maybe it wasn’t better. The Nats obviously preferred Phillips or else they would have signed Murphy without even trying for him.
Might have to do with Phillips’s deal only being for 2 years but all the other guys needing more years.
Phillips was under contract for 2 but wanted a third year option picked up to okay a trade.
Nat’s will have another pick as soon as Desi signs elsewhere. I like this move. I’ll take that lefty bat & worry about hid defense later. Now how about a LF’er Mr Rizzo?
Rizzo is not done. He will trade for an OF (with the prospects he saved from not trading for Brandon Phillips).
as a mets fan who also lives in viera, fl (so i see the nats play 16 times every march…)…you guys are gonna come to appreciate danny once you see him every day…sometimes the game moves just a bit too fast for him, and then he feels like he is the only one who can save the game for the team; and thats when he makes little league plays, like, throwing to wrong base, or rushing the play…but he is really a good hitter…always makes contact…doesnt strike out at all…and put him in a line-up with some protection (something he has never had in NY until they put Cespedes in line up behind him), and he hits…he gets pitches to hit, he hits them…theres the story about when he first came to rookie camp in the minors…and every rookie had to stand up and state their name and what position they play…danny stood up, and said his name…and then said ‘I am a hitter…and, he is…his worst defensive position is probably 2nd base…you will be surprised how well he plays third base, and pleased when he starts making diving backhanded plays behind the first base bag…mets never should have let him go…but mets just dont want to spend money on anyone who wants more than a 2 year contract…’
Murphy’s batting line against the Mets next season: .18 games, 450/.490/.650, 7 HR, 19 RBI
Babe Ruth wouldnt have that line against the mets pitchers
Yovani Gallardo / Doug Fister / Ian Kennedy / Scott Kazmir / Wei-Yen Chen
Tyler Clippard / Antonio Bastardo / Fernando Rodney / Gerardo Parra /
Justin Upton / Alex Gordon / Chris Davis / Ian Desmond / Howie Kendrick
Alexei Ramirez / Howie Kendrick / Dexter Fowler / Denard Span
Still a lot of guys out there.
Wonder which teams have the money left to sign them.
Mike Rizzo is the grinch who stole Christmas. Just what we need is a subpar defender who clanked in the World Series on defense just like Storen clanked in the 2012 and 2014 playoffs. We got rid of Escobar because he was a defensive liability and now just signed another. Thanks Rizzo, NOT!
He can hit but he cannot field, throw, or run. Espinosa is challenged at SS, and Rendon is better at 3B, so now the entire infield is weakened. Brilliant.
It will be interesting to see exactly what the terms are. I doubt Murphy will make a ton of money. Personally, I’d love to see Washington go after Justin Upton. However, I think Dexter Fowler is probably a better fit for them. He can play CF and lead-off.
Daniel Murphy cannot play left field. He was worse than Kyle Schwarber. He was as bad as Lucas Duda and Todd Hundley. Every play looked as though he was doing it for the first time. I was afraid he’d be like that at second, but he put in the effort and became serviceable. He can turn DPs but has to play very deep and loses outs because of it. Not that he slacked off in left, but he just didn’t have the tools. However, I would discourage moving him around a lot. He’s not Zobrist or Prado. He’s not a good fielder and is best when he is in one position. At first, he still plays with the third baseman mentality of going for everything he can reach. And, move him back and forth between second and third, he’ll look rusty at both. He can hit, though.
So glad the Dodgers did not sign this scrub he is a bad contract waiting to happen. The guy got this contract thanks to the him turning into Babe Ruth when he played the Dodgers
He’s had more hits and doubles than anyone in the NL over last 4 years
Depends. If they gave him 3/60, then yeah it’s not good. If they gave him something like 3/40-45, it is fair value. Murph has been a slightly above average player for a long time, with incredible highs and horrid lows. He may be a bit overpaid but almost everyone is. This shouldn’t really be an albatross at any point during the contract.
He’s making less than $40 million. It’s nearly impossible for that contract to turn into an albatross. He basically has to show up to earn that money.
Murph will be missed by Mets fan. Yes he’s a dangerous liability in the field and occasionally as a base runner. But make no mistake he’s a gamer who comes to play every day and a very tough out! He’ll be missed. Good Luck Murph!
Hecwas sometimes a space cadet in the field, but he always plays hard and he was great in the clubhouse. As a Mets fan I’m sorry to see him go, but Dilson Herrera will take over in ’17…so there was no room for him (w. Walker there for ’16).
Good that he was signed by a team, but I hoped that Murphy would have stayed with the Mets for his whole career.But, now is frequent players get trade it or sign with a different team. Thanks for eveything that you did for the Mets.
Great sign by Nats. Everyone credits Cespedes for turning around the Mets offense but Murphy carried the Mets to the World Series last year. The Mets starting hitting when Murphy came off the DL, well before they acquired Cespedes.
It wasn’t just Murph, it wasn’t just Cespedes. They both performed well, but so did Grandy, TDA, Conforto, Duda for stretches, Wright for stretches, Flores for the majority of the second half, Tejeda in September. It wasn’t a single player that really “put the Mets over the top.” There seemed to be a different hero each week.
As a Mets’ fan, I hate to see Murph go, especially to the Nats, but I understand why he wasn’t retained and why they looked hard for an upgrade. If the Nats get September-November 2015 Murph, it’s a great deal. If they get Career Averages Murph, it’s a solid signing for a solid player.
I love the deal for everyone here, except the Mets. I know that Murphy had to go, but wish it would have been outside of the NLE. As a Mets fan, that is the only downside. That said, I do get to watch him play quite a bit for the next few years, so it does have an upside as well, and I’m extremely curious to see how he does against our pitching staff.
From the Mets POV, they did what was best for them, and while it’s sad to see him go, it was in their best interest to let it happen. They needed the extra draft pick to help compensate for the Cuddyer signing last year, as the farm system has taken a hit there and from a recent surge of graduations. Walker was brought in to bridge the gap until Herrera is ready, and at that time, another QO is a possibility, which could further help improve the farm system. It was a wise decision from the Mets POV, as painful as it might be to let him go.
From Murphy’s POV, he’s been playing under his rookie contract his entire career. This was his first chance to make big money, and this contract will set his entire family up for the rest of his life. While he would have preferred a 4 year deal, it does get him to the market a year earlier, and maybe he can get another good deal before he gets too old. This isn’t the worst news in the world from his POV, especially if he keeps hitting HR’s.
From the Nats POV, this is a solid pickup. They desperately needed a 2b and LH for the lineup. All Murphy does is hit, hit, and hit some more. You put him in front of Harper, and Harper will be hitting a LOT of HR’s with men on base now and driving in a lot of runs because Murphy doubled before Harper came to the plate. Murph was the best baserunner the Mets had, and had had in quite some time. He was exceptionally aggressive on the basepaths, and 9/10, it paid off. Every once in awhile, the other team made him pay for it, but most of the time, the invisible man was a sneaky little cuss who made the other teams pay because they forgot about him. This happened in the playoffs when the whole world was watching, besides the pitcher who was too busy cussing himself out. Mets fans have seen stuff like that a hundred times though, and love him all the more for it.
His defense is precisely as advertised. He won’t make any mind boggling plays and will definitely botch some of the routine ones from time to time. He’s usually good with the double play though, and his bat DEFINITELY makes up for the defensive problems. That’s not even an issue.
The Nats will love his versatility and he can spot them at 1b or 3b as needed. He will quickly become a fan favorite and is an asset in any clubhouse. The Nats got themselves a jewel here. He’s not perfect, but he’s FUN to watch and root for, and makes you proud to don the jersey.
Personally, this is one of the rare instances where I’m very happy for the player who got paid and don’t begrudge him at all. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who works harder. He takes extra ground balls at the different positions so he will be ready at any moment. He WANTS it and he’s just a good guy. I wish there were more like him and I’m sad to see him go.
I thought they would of gone after howie Kendrick instead
Lefty bat that’s what they needed! Harper’s back to back MVP?
Sure if he’s gotten over being made Paplebon’s girlfriend on national TV
It is really a decent signing for Nats but I would not give Daniel Murphy over 10 million each year
It baffles me how this is breaking news. Daniel Murphy gets one successful postseason run, and now everyone’s crowning him king. The reality here is that Daniel Murphy is an above average hitter at best – nothing more. He’s not going to give the Nats anything more than basically any other above average player, or a 17th pick for that matter.
People need to realize that one successful postseason run doesn’t make you the king of the world. Daniel Murphy was a nobody before 2015. I didn’t even know who he was until the postseason, and his magical run is nothing but a climactic hot streak for a slightly above average hitter.
Umm….. I don’t know what you’re reading, but no one is treating this as anything other than what it is: a signing of a solid player. The fact that he signed to a division rival makes it bigger news than anything else.
Also, if you didn’t know who Murph was until this postseason, you just haven’t been paying attention. I mean, the guy was an all-star in 2014…
I mostly concentrate on the American League, so the fault there is mine.
Point is though, there are plenty of better all-star players than Murphy. And 2014 wasn’t that long ago, remember. He hasn’t had much prominence over others.
Yeah, he’ll definitely light up the Mets. Totally owned the Dodgers aces. In front of Harper? Solid!
wha?
Murphy will contribute 2016-2018, that’s worth the deal for the Nationals. And you hope he’s serviceable in 2019 to flip for some youth….
Can’t help but feel like they would have been better off with Escobar and signing an average reliever instead of trading him for Gott.
I didn’t like that trade , but the Angels got a third basemen under control for two years , by then kubitza should be ready
Hehe no gott is better
After his miscue in the series, Murphy suffers from the Bill Buckner complex. His base running can be Murphy’s Law sometimes.
Murphy giveth and he taketh away.
Bad move for the my mets. Sweet pick up for the Nats. Cheap price too. Knew they would go for him after the ets let him slide. Bad base running? His smart stolen 3rd base “steal’ against shifted la defense scored the winning run against the Dodgers in the league series. He was the best hitter for the ets last year. Even then they had to sacrifice personnel to break the anemia of the line up. As bad as it was to let him go, the Ets did worse giving him to the Nats with, yes, the left handed bat defore right handed Harper.
Many of us Mets look forward to him slamming the franchise up against that big apple!