Baltimore Orioles interested in Daniel Murphy
By Tim Haberin
Daniel Murphy‘s postseason run featured the highest of highs, along with a few excruciating lows. The New York Mets second baseman was an absolute force in the NLDS and NLCS, batting .421 during those rounds with seven home runs (a record six of them in consecutive games) and 11 RBI.
The World Series was a far different story. Murphy hit just .150 in the Fall Classic, striking out in seven of his 25 plate appearances and failing to drive in a run. He struggled with the glove as well, committing a crucial error in Game 4 that resulted in the Royals’ tying run, and another gaffe during the Mets’ horror-show 12th inning in last night’s decisive Game 5.
Despite its sour finish, Murphy’s display in the postseason still raised his profile considerably, and he should remain a popular free agent target among teams. According to Roch Kubatko of MASN, one of those clubs could be the Baltimore Orioles.
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The O’s are reportedly interested in signing Murphy this winter, but their chances of landing the infielder could hinge on how the rest of their offseason proceeds. The Orioles sport a sizable list of impending free agents, including big names such as Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen and Darren O’Day.
As Kubatko points out, Baltimore doesn’t exactly have a clear opening for Murphy at the moment either. Second and third base are currently locked down by Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado, respectively.
Murphy has also made 190 appearances at first base in his seven-year career, a vacancy that could emerge if Chris Davis signs elsewhere. However, several reports over the past couple months have indicated that the O’s are prepared to launch a serious effort to retain Davis. Re-signing the slugger is by many accounts their top priority.
Davis will likely command a formidable contract after swatting an MLB-leading 47 homers in 2015. Baltimore will have to spend well more than it typically does if it wants to keep him and any of the other soon-to-be free agents on its roster. When all is said and done, will Murphy fit into their plans, financially and on the field?
Adding Murphy will also likely come at the cost of a draft pick, as the Mets are expected to make him a $15.8 million qualifying offer. Interested teams will have to decide precisely how much they value the 30-year-old, and whether his torrid October could be more fool’s gold than anything.
Murphy’s postseason more or less serves as a microcosm of who he is as a player. He provides a solid bat for a middle infielder, owning a career .288/.331/.424 slash line. But you could do much better than him defensively, as evidenced by his career -2.6 dWAR.
The Orioles already had a host of variables in play for this offseason, and it sounds like you can add Daniel Murphy to the list.