In a report by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Sandy Alderson acknowledged Thursday that the Mets are not particularly interested in working on a contract extension this offseason with second baseman Daniel Murphy who becomes a free agent after the 2015 season.
“Anytime soon? Probably not,” Alderson said about contract-extension dialogue.
Alderson also added that the team is inclined to retain Murphy for 2015. “Right now we would be reluctant to trade Murphy,” Alderson said.
However, sources told Rubin that if the Mets can get a high-powered bat at shortstop, their inclination to trade Murphy would dramatically increase.
Asked if adding another quality bat could change the desire to trade Murphy, Alderson said: “Perhaps.”
In other words, if Wilmer Flores is your opening day shortstop, Murphy will be at second base. If lets say Alexei Ramirez is your shortstop, most likely Flores is at second and Murphy is gone.
November 11
Mike Puma of the New York Post looks at three burning issues for the Mets this offseason and among them is determining the fate of their lone All Star in 2014, Daniel Murphy.
The Mets tried last offseason to trade Murphy, but were unimpressed with the offers. Murphy is under club control for one more season, and the Mets have shown no inclination to offer him a long-term contract. As it stands, Murphy will get a bump to the $8-9 million range for 2015. He made $5.7 million last season.
One possibility is the Mets will begin the season with Murphy as their second baseman and then deal him before the July 31 trade deadline. But if the Mets were to trade him this winter, it would allow the club to head into spring training with Flores as the likely starter at the position.
The Blue Jays and Giants were among the previous teams that had some level of interest in Murphy. The Giants can be subtracted after the emergence of former St. John’s standout Joe Panik.
Murphy, 29, batted .289/.332/.403 with a 110 wRC+ and a 2.8 WAR. Among all NL second basemen, Murphy ranked first in doubles, second in batting average, hits and runs scored, and third in OPS.
But of course, no discussion about Murphy is complete without pointing out his defense at the keystone position – or should I say his lack of it.
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, recently argued that the time has come to trade Murphy.
“So, basically, it is time for the Mets to decide to retain Murphy via a contract extension or look to get some return before he walks as a free agent in a year. And although Murphy has expressed a willingness to talk contract, Mets officials have shown no inclination to engage him. Apparently they do not view him as $10 million a year player going forward. So it’s time to deal.”
Murphy will likely earn about $8 million in arbitration, a significant bump from the $5.7 million he was paid in 2014. But Rubin is right, if the Mets are not inclined to extend his contract, then you have to deal him. But is that something you do now or at next season’s trade deadline when teams are usually willing to overpay for a specific need?
With Dilson Herrera, Wilmer Flores and Matt Reynolds all waiting in the wings, Murphy has become somewhat expendable. However the Mets know what they’ll get out of Murphy if they were to keep him and the same can’t be said about the other three. It’s a very precarious situation that can backfire just as easily as it could work out for the team. But that’s why the GM gets the big bucks.
