Should we talk about... Daniel Murphy???

[Benjamin Grimm]

I've been wondering if the Mets would* consider making a run at free agent Daniel Murphy this winter. Since he'll be 34 when the season starts, which means that his best years are likely behind him, he seems exactly like the kind of guy who would tempt them.

*Note that I'm saying would and not should.

[Frayed Knot]

In case you haven't seen him lately, he is noticeably slower / rustier / less mobile since returning from his lengthy knee-surgery rehab.
Now maybe that gets a bit better as he knocks the rust off, but this is a guy not exactly known for being particularly fast or mobile in the first place.
I suspect the 'he'll be American League player' tag will be attached to him in the rumor mills this winter.

[Centerfield]

Frayed Knot wrote: In case you haven't seen him lately, he is noticeably slower / rustier / less mobile since returning from his lengthy knee-surgery rehab. Now maybe that gets a bit better as he knocks the rust off, but this is a guy not exactly known for being particularly fast or mobile in the first place. I suspect the 'he'll be American League player' tag will be attached to him in the rumor mills this winter.

So in other words, he's perfect!

[MFS62]

Evan Roberts (WFAN) is talking about him. He said the other day, when talking about the Mets off season plans to spend money, that they wouldn't go for a Harper or Machado but would go for second tier players. He mentioned Murphy and said he'd be "perfect" because they could play up the "Bringing a hero home" angle rather than (I paraphrase) making a major on-field impact. His tone sounded somewhere between sarcastic and resigned.
As long as he could recover most of his skills, I wouldn't object to having him back. I just wouldn't want him to be the jewel in the off-season crown.

Later

[Guest d'Kong76]

I have absolutely no interest in adding Daniel Murphy back into the mix.
None, none whatsoever.

[seawolf17]

Shit, you know they're going to do this, aren't they. FRIG. They're going to give him Bruce money and we'll watch him fall apart. Ugh.

[metsmarathon]

i like daniel murphy. a lot. supermuch even.

i do not want the mets to throw a bunch of money his way. not at all. supermuch no way.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

d'Kong76 wrote: I have absolutely no interest in adding Daniel Murphy back into the mix. None, none whatsoever.

He might make a LH good bench guy, but yeah. Temptation to use him all the time would be too great.

[Edgy MD]

Temptation is also there to think of him as a guy who can slot into any of three positions as you pivot to respond to changing circumstances.

I suppose he'd be tempting as a thirdbaseman who can help out at first, but he's a bad bet as a secondbaseman (and never was a particularly good bet there to begin with).

But even as just a corner infielder, Josh Donaldson is probably more appealing, and he's hurt too. Nonetheless, there's a lot to learn before then.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Matthew Cerrone is talking about Daniel Murphy.

Should Mets bring back Daniel Murphy this winter?

Murphy will again be a free agent this winter at a time when the Mets are expected -- yet again -- to be in search of everyday second baseman. The Mets would be smart to consider bringing Murphy back 1) to fill multiple spots on their roster, but also 2) to get him out of the opposing batter's box.

I hope he's kidding about (2).

[Centerfield]

I guarantee you Cerrone is not kidding about (2).

It's tough. I love Murphy. And unlike guys like Bruce/Frazier/Vargas, Murphy actually is a star.

I just think we'd be getting him on the decline. He probably has one good year left in him.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, no.

[Fman99]

Has Jeff McNeil not earned a shot? Why cockblock him with a 34 year old guy with shaky knees? That's some hella retarded GM'in.

[smg58]

Our biggest mistake last offseason was giving the biggest contract to a left-handed corner outfielder we didn't actually need. The biggest mistake we could make this offseason would be to give the biggest contract to a second baseman.

[Edgy MD]

Well, it's pretty hard to argue for signing the expensive, creaky-kneed, 34-year-old version of Daniel Murphy in order to displace the dirt-cheap, healthy-kneed, 27-year-old version.

If they have a view for him at third or something, I'll listen, but NO PROMISES!!

[Lefty Specialist]

Ummmm, no.

[Centerfield]

I'm about to submit my resume for Mets GM. What do you think?

I think it's no coincidence that the Mets haven't been the same since they lost Daniel Murphy. And all the recent struggles of the pitching staff coincide with the departure of Bartolo Colon. By re-signing these key pieces of the 2015 World Series team, I think we are in great position to make a return to the post-season.

Bartolo's return to the rotation means Jason Vargas becomes our lefty out of the pen. And you know what they say, having more than one lefty in the pen is a waste. Gsellman proved in 2018 that he can close, Lugo can pitch 2 innings every day, and we are expecting big things from Swarzak, now that his oblique is completely healed.

As far as the offense, we all saw the real Jay Bruce in the second half (.890 OPS). I know some fans were disappointed we didn't add a superstar bat, but we feel like a healthy David Wright is just like signing a big name free agent. Yoenis Cespedes can be our big bat we add mid-season, and who wasn't encouraged by the strong play by Austin Jackson, who seems to have what it takes to thrive here.

I'll take questions.

(inaudible)

Sure, look, we knew that there would be those that felt the ritual sacrifice of Dominic Smith was unnecessary, but that strange BABIP numbers at Citi were too much to be a coincidence, and we felt like we needed to try some alternative measures. We saw the danger of relying too much on analytics by the old regime. Our approach is more holistic.

(inaudible)

No, the witch doctor will not be in the dugout, but he will be available at all times in the clubhouse. We were serious about our commitment to health. If we just stay healthy, I think we are right there. Ya know what I'm sayin?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Don't forget to bring back Wally Backman and Ray Knight while you're at it.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Centerfield wrote: I'll take questions. (inaudible) Sure, look, ... (inaudible) No, the ...

Drives me fargin' bananas and happens all too often given the
tech available today.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I had forgotten that Daniel Murphy was a free agent this winter. I did some Googling and found this, on NJ.com, from last week:

The Yankees have reached out to Murphy's representation to express interest, NJ Advance Media has learned. Murphy is expecting his agents to meet with Yankees GM Brian Cashman during the Winter Meetings, which will be held in Las Vegas from Dec. 9-13. It's believed that Murphy is seeking a two-year contract. Murphy could be a great fit for the Yankees, whose lineup is very right-handed heavy. Also, he potentially could temporarily fill the Yankees' early season middle infield hole by starting at second base with Gleyber Torres moving from second to shortstop until Didi Gregorius returns from Tommy John surgery in May, June or July. Once Gregorius is back, Murphy could platoon at first base with Luke Voit while getting some starts at designated hitter. The Yankees' known competition for Murphy? The Houston Astros.

[smg58]

That's one way to make him totally dead to me.

[batmagadanleadoff]

How could you not love The Murph? What if he played for the Yanks before coming to the Mets? Like Curtis Granderson. Or Rickey Henderson.