Throughout the playoffs, Mets fans were in awe with Daniel Murphy‘s incredible play. Quite frankly, they had ample reason to. Whether it was the seven home runs, the timely base knocks, head’s up base running, and even some rare stellar defense, there was a lot to be excited about.
Then the World Series began, and the home runs were were gone, the hits were limited, and the fielding plummeted. The feeling around the fan base went from elation to pure humiliation. However, it is vital that the Mets keep a level-headed approach when it comes to re-signing Daniel Murphy or letting him walk via free agency.
On the other side of the field, we saw a fantastic ball player in Ben Zobrist. His glove was adequate, but more importantly he had countless timely hits. But, management cannot and will not make a decision based on five games. Zobrist, who will turn 35 in May, comes with a few risks – the most worrisome being his age.
Despite his recent success, giving Zobrist four years at roughly $12-15 million dollars per season screams disaster. Throughout his career, Zobrist has rarely been bitten by the injury bug. However, Zobrist did have surgery to repair a torn meniscus which forced him to miss the first month of last season.
Having said that, the Mets should be diligent in their hot pursuit for Zobrist. His stats don’t jump off the page, and that is perfectly fine. As a career .265 hitter, he certainly does not make or break a team. The versatile utility man is primarily a second basemen, but he can also play shortstop and even both corner outfield spots. If the Mets do end up opting for Zobrist instead of Murphy, it will most likely have to do with his capable glove since Murphy slightly edges him in every other category.
But to be fair, Zobrist had a down year in 2015 and could certainly return to previous production levels. If you look at more advanced metrics, Zobrist’s .349 wOBA and 123 wRC+ were still better than Daniel Murphy who had his best season and produced a .325 wOBA and 110 wRC+.
And also, if you sign Zobrist instead of Murphy the Mets get the compensatory draft pick between the first and second round of next year’s draft.
According to Adam Rubin of ESPN, Daniel Murphy is not a goner quite yet and the Mets have not yet turned the page on him. Since taking over at second base in 2013, Murph has arguably been the team’s best hitter. He established career highs with 14 home runs and 78 RBI this season. He’ll never lead the league in those categories, but he puts the ball in play and forces the defense to throw him out. Sound familiar?
Murphy’s approach at the plate is similar to each of the gritty Royals hitters. He hardly strikes out, seems to always hit in the clutch, and can certainly drive the baseball. Murphy will be 31 at the start of the 2016 season, and still has plenty left in the tank. A four-year contract worth about $12-13 million dollars per year would be less risky given to Murphy rather than a few million more for Zobrist.
If the Mets do decide to let Murphy walk, I hope that they have a good backup plan. Leaving the second base duties to Dilson Herrera might hurt this Mets team which is now in win-now mode. I am not denying the fact that Herrera could be a solid second basemen in the future, but I am not sure that future is now or that he could adequately replace Murphy’s offensive production at second base.
Let’s remember Murphy led all NL second basemen in doubles, extra-base hits and RBI, and ranked second with a .770 OPS.
While I am not in love with signing Murphy to four years I believe Zobrist would be more problematic. What do you say? If you could sign one of Daniel Murphy or Ben Zobrist, who would you prefer?
