Dodgers want Murphy

[Frayed Knot]

Ken Gurnick - MLB.com Link

Daniel Murphy of the Mets is the player the Dodgers tried to trade for at the Winter Meetings, according to a baseball source, and they might make another run at him.
...Interest in Murphy is in keeping with Dodgers strategy this winter to obtain affordable, versatile position players that will provide manager Don Mattingly with flexible lineup options in lieu of a set lineup of everyday players.

One thought is that the Pagan trade to the Giants nixed one in the works for Muffy with Tony Gwynn Jr. playing the role of defensive OF specialist later filled by Torres

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Muffy for Kemp. Solves our need for a triple crown candidate and the Dodgers' need for versatility.

[smg58]

I'm hoping the conversation went something along the lines of "Would you take Gwynn for Murphy?", followed by a terse "fuck no."

[metirish]

I want Murphy healthy to see what he can do for a full season, three hole?

[Edgy MD]

I don't think he opens the season in the three hole, but if the year goes anything like the last few, he'll find his way there eventually.

[Fman99]

metirish wrote: I want Murphy healthy to see what he can do for a full season, three hole?

Do you sit Turner then, make him a bench guy, to give Murphy the chance to play? Or do you take at bats away from Tejada to get Turner and Murphy both on the field? I know, these things often work themselves out, I'd like to see a healthy Ike Davis out there at 1B in the worst way right now, but, there's only so many positions on the field.

Too bad none of them can catch.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think we've already seen the best three months of turners career, and even if we haven't, he's not defensively solid enough nor versatile enough to clear space for in December. I wouldn't be surprised if they move him before the spring.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't think any player's safe on the Mets. They're dangling Niese, and given his upside and low ML service time, (i.e. -- affordability and controllablity) you'd think that Niese is the type of player the Mets would wanna keep. I could see Davey Johnson's Mets pushing Niese ... but if these Mets are putting out feelers for Niese, they must have decided internally that they won't be competing for years. BTW, this is why I opined in another thread that Wright's time here is running out.

[Edgy MD]

As of now, he's helping Murphy with fielding and hitting lefties at second, but he's not really that much better than Murphy at either of those things for me to think a platoon will last long.

But Murphy's perhaps keeping a spot warm for Reese Havens, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Murphy flipped for pitching, sooner or later. I get the idea Mattingly sees a little of his own young self in our Daniel, and envisions him as someone he can work with.

Murphy has pretty similar career numbers to James Loney, interestingly.

[smg58]

I get the sense that other GMs see a "buy low" opportunity on Murphy -- he's not a safe bet at second, he has too much company at first, and the Mets are swearing on any religious book you hand to them that Wright is not on the table. I can't say I blame anybody for asking, but so far the offers have been pennies on the dollar for a capable third baseman with a .792 career OPS who's still not arb-eligible.

My biggest fear is that Murphy will wind up succeeding somewhere else, while the Mets have a 5th outfielder to show for him and then still trade Wright in July.