Daniel Murphy is all the rage in the last 48 hours whether on the baseball blogosphere, sports talk radio and even on the National circuit where everyone on MLB Network and ESPN are all asking whether the Mets are really going to let Daniel Murphy go after the season. Reports by Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman and Kristie Ackert all said “no chance” on Monday. I had posed this question to our writers last week in an MMO Roundtable, that seems all the more relevant today.
Should the Mets make Murphy a $15.8 million qualifying offer, sign him to an extension, or just let him walk?
Brian Greenzang – Giving Daniel Murphy a qualifying offer of $15.8 million is a tough pill to swallow. That is a lot of money for a player who more than likely on the open market may make $10-12 million a year tops and that may be a little high. You can’t fault his intensity though and he is a pure hitter. I would absolutely hate to see him go, but the qualifying offer is just too high. Ideally it would be nice if the team could sign Murphy to a more team friendly 3 year, $24 million type deal – that I could see him accepting. If it came down to the qualifying offer though, I would rather the Mets not tender Murphy a contract myself and use that money to attempt to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes. Murphy would be almost sure to accept that qualifying offer if the opportunity presented itself.
Robert Piersall – I think not bringing back Daniel Murphy would be a big mistake for the Mets. Yes, we all know Murphy will make silly mistakes defensively, as well as committing the occasional base running blunder, but his offense more than makes up for it. He’s a gamer, works his butt off and has been the most consistent hitter in the Mets lineup year after year. With David Wright‘s long term health still a big question mark, having Murphy will soften the blow in case Wright has to miss an extended amount of time again.
Joe Spector – I wouldn’t give him a qualifying offer however I would make him an offer of 4 years at $36 million. Take it or leave it. Unfortunately Murphy may end up being this team’s Ray Knight.
Tommy Rothman – They should extend a qualifying offer, then offer him a fair extension as well and hope he takes that. Murphy is a very solid MLB hitter who has proven himself over and over again, something that cannot be said about Dilson Herrera or anybody else the Mets would fill his place with. He is worth a pretty good amount of money, and if the team has as much flexibility as the front office has claimed — if we have not been lied to — there is no reason not to lock him up for a few years. As for the qualifying offer, no player has ever accepted one. If he walks, you might get a first-round pick out of it. If he accepts the qualifying offer, you keep a good hitter for just a few million dollars above his annual market value. This is not a team with a surplus of hitting. With Cespedes, Murphy, Uribe, and Johnson all free agents, the team must spend some money to avoid going back to the putrid offense we saw in June.
XtreemIcon – The Mets should under no circumstances offer him a multi-year extension. I used to be dead set against making him a QO, as well, but I’ve come off that and think it may actually be a good idea. Conventional wisdom says he’d probably make around $12 million AAV in a multiyear deal. So if the Mets offer a QO and he accepts, it’s only about a $4 million overpay. I think that’s a fair premium to insure Wright at third and give Herrera or Flores a blow against the tough RHP at second base. And if he declines, the Mets get a draft pick. The Mes would pay $15.8 million, he’d probably get $12 million on the open market, and he’s only worth maybe $8 million, but the risk is worth the reward.
Paul Myron – I’d go with a multi-year offer. While Murphy has his flaws, he is a valuable member of the team. He can play three different positions (not perfectly, but adequately), is a lock to hit .280 every year, and has good pop for a second baseman. He doesn’t get into many prolonged slumps and when he gets hot, he is extremely difficult to get out. He is a constant extra-base threat and has proven multiple times that he can deliver in the clutch. Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, he will be very difficult to replace, as there are not many second basemen that are the kind of hitter Murphy is.
William Botchway – Bye bye Daniel. I was always in favor of trading him away before his contract expired to get some value out of him, but he has no place on this roster after this season. The first problem I have with him is he simply isn’t that good. In his career, he’s posted a wRC+ above 110 only once: in 2011. Someone who is at best 10% better than league average at the plate isn’t worth $15.8 million, especially when combined with sub-par defense. Giving him a multi-year deal is pointless because the Mets have replacements for him available, in the form of Wilmer Flores, or possibly Dilson Herrera if he’s ready to contribute at the major league level next season. Even with the concerns about David Wright’s durability, I wouldn’t keep him around. If anything, Kelly Johnson or Juan Uribe can be a stopgap if needed, but Murphy has no business remaining on this roster when his role will soon be reduced to that of an overrated utility player who can’t defend any position (other than third) very well.
Spencer Barnes – Let me preface this answer by saying that I am fully devoted to enjoying the rest of the postseason, and the upcoming offseason is a very distant afterthought at the moment. That being said, I am quite torn on the future of the Mets at second base. The plan coming into this year was to prepare Dilson Herrera to take over the position for the long haul, beginning in 2016. While, I have been impressed with Herrera’s potential, and I love the consistency at the plate that Daniel “I Only Hit Doubles” Murphy provides, I would like to cast my vote for Wilmer Flores. Without having to deal with unending questions about his defense, and now a full season under his belt, Flores could really develop into a solid, reliable 6 or 7 hole hitter for years to come.
Matt Fritz – I would love for the Mets to make a qualifying offer to Daniel Murphy after the season. I think most would be in favor of him walking, and I can see why to some extent, but I really believe Murphy is the heart of this team. Sure, David Wright is the Captain and the face of the Mets, but Murphy is truly a special type of baseball player who plays the game with fire, passion, and lays it all out on the field. He may in fact be a better fit for an American League team where he can DH the majority of the time, due to some of his defensive liabilities, but I think most teams would sign up to have an infielder who can hit .281 with 14 HR. 73 RBI and a .770 OPS.
Logan Barer – The Mets must keep Daniel Murphy. The team has a few uncertainties in the infield. With David Wright’s spinal stenosis, having Murphy would give the Mets an average defensive third baseman who, of course, is a fantastic hitter as a backup plan. Also, nobody can say for sure if Dilson Herrera is ready to take over the bulk of the duties at second base. I personally think he might be, but I can’t be certain. Having Murphy would also allow Terry Collins to have great flexibility as he can play first, second, or third. He can give others players a rest if he wants and put Murphy where he please. There are plenty of reasons to let him go as well, but in the end, I believe the pros of Murphy outweigh the cons. Keep him.
Joe D. – Most of you already know my sentiments on this matter by virtue of the 11 articles I’ve written this season about hanging on to the heart and soul of this team, Daniel Murphy. With nobody viewing the Mets as the grand prize winner in the Yoenis Cespedes sweepstakes this offseason, the thought of replacing not one, but both players who carried this team in August and September is quite a scary thought at that.
Who is going to replace those 50 homers and 190 RBI once Murphy and Cespedes walk?
Getting back to Murphy specifically, who replaces his fire, his passion, his leadership and tenure in that clubhouse?
Dilson Herrera, great little prospect, but will he replace those 38 doubles and 14 home runs? How many second basemen have done that this season in the National League? Try none. Murphy led all second basemen in doubles, extra-base hits, and RBI – even while batting mostly in the two-spot.
Here we have a player whose value is not only in his intangible qualities, which are many, but also statistically, and not only in the traditional sense. As MLB’s toughest batter to strikeout, Murphy even makes things happen with his league leading productive outs. He is seemingly a part of every Mets rally or delivering unassisted in the clutch.
I think Sandy Alderson understands the inherent value Murphy brings to this team, has already scanned the possible options if he were to bolt – finding none to his appeal, and his logical forward-thinking self will sign Murphy to a multi-year deal to remain with the Mets before the Winter Meetings.
