A source has told ESPN’s Adam Rubin that Daniel Murphy is available.
In conversations with other teams at the GM Meetings in Milwaukee this week, a source confirmed the Mets informed other teams that Daniel Murphy is “available.”
This goes against an earlier report that said the front office sees Murphy as the starting second baseman if they cannot retain Jose Reyes.
But then again, that could have just been the team trying to do some quick PR work for a player who missed the rest of the season after sufering a knee injury back in early August.
There is no doubting Murphy’s ability with the bat. When he went down last season he was second in the National League in batting and he has become a doubles-hitting machine. It’s his lack of a true defensive position that makes Murphy so hard to figure out. His natural position, third base, is manned by David Wright, and his second best position is occupied by Ike Davis.
In 109 games last year, Murphy hit .320 with a .362 OBP, six homers and 49 RBI in 390 at-bats..
He would seem to be a perfect fit for the AL or a team that could use a third baseman, but with his value so low because of the injury, I still see him with the Mets in 2012.
If I’m wrong and the Mets do sell low on Murphy, I do believe they will come to regret it. Murphy can hit with the best of them and would thrive with regular playing time.
