Muffy / Nats

[Frayed Knot]

Reportedly agree to a three-year deal.


Of course this is the same club that "reportedly" had a Brandon Phillips deal all in line and the team is not confirming this yet.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Oh, worst nightmare for one of us.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Reported as a three year deal. I hate to see Murphy end up in Washington. He should be a good fit for the Nationals. He is a significant improvement (at least offensively) over Danny Espinosa at second base.

[Centerfield]

This fucking blows. I know there are a lot of reasons letting Murphy go makes sense, but it still fucking blows. That he went to the Nats just makes it worse.

I fucking hate this winter.

[Frayed Knot]

Reported as a three year deal. I hate to see Murphy end up in Washington. He should be a good fit for the Nationals. He is a significant improvement (at least offensively) over Danny Espinosa at second base.

He's more directly replacing Yunel Escobar who played 3rd for the Nats while Rendon was DL'd but was hired as their 2B and went on a one year splurge of .314/.375/.415 which was a 50-75 point jump across the board from his 2014 numbers so Muffy won't be that big an increase for them. And they still need to find themselves a SS unless they're going to move Espinosa there who may actually be a better SS than Desmond though not as good a hitter.
And now this gives us a strategy against the Nats next year: hit it to Murph!!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

And make with the draft pick, Nats. Pronto.

[Edgy MD]

Here's a thing. By going 83-79, the Nats won just enough to keep that first round pick from being protected. Had they won only 80, they'd be picking 15th and the Mets would get their second round pick. Instead, the Mets grab the hardy #18 pick, project by Kiley McDaniel to be Braxton Garrett, LHP, Florence HS (AL).

Way to beat up on the Nats, but not too bad, Mets.

[Frayed Knot]

The Mets don't get the Nats #18 pick. Via the new rules as of a couple years back the Nats lose the #18 pick but the acquired pick that the Mets get is tacked on to the end of the 1st round in some pre-determined order or another.
So we'll wind up with an extra pick in the upper 30s to around #40 in addition to our regular #24 pick.

[Centerfield]

So that's what that last series was about. Well played Mets.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: The Mets don't get the Nats #18 pick. Via the new rules as of a couple years back the Nats lose the #18 pick but the acquired pick that the Mets get is tacked on to the end of the 1st round in some pre-determined order or another. So we'll wind up with an extra pick in the upper 30s to around #40 in addition to our regular #24 pick.

Right.

Yuletide bummer.

[Frayed Knot]

Well it doesn't totally suck.
For each QO FA who signs with a team who has a pick outside the top 10 but below the Mets slot at #24, that pick essentially disappears causing each pick after it to move up one slot.
So Murphy signing with the Nats and Samardzija w/the Giants makes picks #18 & 19 go away so the NYM picks slide up to 22 & 38 rather than 24 & 40.

The remaining QO FAs ranked ahead of Murphy are Ian Kennedy; Justin Upton; Hisashi Iwakuma; Wei-Yin Chen; Chris Davis; Ian Desmond; Jordan Zimmermann; Yovani Gallardo
Zimmermann signed with the Tigers who have a protected (top 10) pick so that doesn't affect anything, nor does Iwakuma who, after a dalliance with the Dodgers, re-signed with his original team in Seattle.

But for each of the remainder who sign (but not re-sign) with the Mariners, Red Sox, D-backs, Rays, Orioles, Indians, Twins, Angels, Astros, Yankees, or Rangers, those NYM picks will move up one additional slot.

[Zvon]

This news tried to ruin my Christmas but I wouldn't let it.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I've been so busy, I JUST saw this. But, y'know, thanks be that he signed somewhere he isn't likely to haunt us or anything.

It seemed like some of the batting-approach changes that led to last year's improvements-- greater contact rate, lower strikeout rates, more pulling/power-- were sustainable. I suppose now, we're hoping they aren't?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Plus, Murphy's new contract isn't prohibitively expensive. It surely isn't in the stratosphere. It's nowhere near what many experts were predicting, during the post-season and at the height of his powers, Murphy would get. It's the sort of contract a normal big market team gives out without blinking an eye. Not that money played a large role in the Mets decision to let Murphy go.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Folks are saying that the QO draft-pick-penalty may have softened the market for/knocked down the price on everyone's favorite keystone-manning lifestyle consultant.

But, yeah, he basically got Niese/Walker-ish money.

[TransMonk]

Here's hoping he boots grounders and runs the team out of innings in Washington, now.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Man, Cleveland was sleeping on this.

I really wanted Muffy to sign with Cleveland. Can't think of a less relevant team to the Mets' prospects.

[Guest cooby classic]

I thought he got traded to the Pirates

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Folks are saying that the QO draft-pick-penalty may have softened the market for/knocked down the price on everyone's favorite keystone-manning lifestyle consultant. But, yeah, he basically got Niese/Walker-ish money.

It's $1.8-ish million more than Walker is expected to get, but I imagine evading the years are the appeal for a Met team trying to rebuild their infield on the fly.

[ashie62]

Whats done is done.

[Centerfield]

This shit is all Brandon Phillips' fault. Let's beat the shit out of him.

[MFS62]

Centerfield wrote: This shit is all Brandon Phillips' fault. Let's beat the shit out of him.

How about both Phillips AND Murph?
That gets my vote.
Later

Edited July 11, 2016 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

Can we get a UMDB daiquiri with regard to who are the all-time leaders in RBI against the Mets in a single season? I would bet Daniel's fellow ex-Met Dave Kingman 1979 is the leader, but I'd also expect Muffy to be pretty close.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Can we get a UMDB daiquiri with regard to who are the all-time leaders in RBI against the Mets in a single season? I would bet Daniel's fellow ex-Met Dave Kingman 1979 is the leader, but I'd also expect Muffy to be pretty close.

Hank Aaron, 28. 1962.

[Edgy MD]

Wow, Kong '79 was only 20.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Can we get a UMDB daiquiri with regard to who are the all-time leaders in RBI against the Mets in a single season?

Oops, by the time I saw this the question had already been answered, but here are all players who have 20 or more RBI in a season against the Mets:

Player	Year	RBI
Henry Aaron	1962	28
Rico Carty	1964	27
Dick Allen	1968	25
Frank Howard	1962	23
Willie Mays	1962	23
Ken Boyer	1962	23
Deron Johnson	1965	23
Willie Stargell	1966	23
Ryne Sandberg	1990	22
Ryan Howard	2006	21
Daniel Murphy	2016	21
Don Demeter	1962	20
Jim Ray Hart	1966	20
Willie McCovey	1967	20
Dave Kingman	1979	20

Lots of examples from the 1960s, before divisional play, when the Mets played more teams more frequently. The only post-1969 instances are Sandberg in 1990, Howard in 2006, Murphy this year, and Kingman in 1979.

[TransMonk]

[Guest themetfairy]

That was very classy of Murph.

[Centerfield]

Yup. Way to go Murph. I don't know. Maybe it's fan goggles I'm wearing, but I feel like if you asked Murph right now to ditch his contract with Washington and come back, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Kinda like the reverse Tom Glavine.

It also strikes me that Murph is very lucky. Not to take away anything from his relationship with Sandy, which must be great, but if Murph is writing in his name, he is incredibly blessed not to have someone in his inner circle of friends and family affected by cancer.

I remember a few years ago, I saw a shot of Ron Darling holding that sign, and on it it simply stated "my catcher". Heartbreaking.

[TransMonk]

Centerfield wrote: It also strikes me that Murph is very lucky. Not to take away anything from his relationship with Sandy, which must be great, but if Murph is writing in his name, he is incredibly blessed not to have someone in his inner circle of friends and family affected by cancer.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/daniel-murphy-stands-sandy-alderson-battle-cancer-article-1.2709069

“My family has been really blessed in that we haven’t really been touched by cancer,” Murphy explained. “So, (Mets Vice President of PR) Jay Horwitz brought it up that Sandy is going through his treatment and so I thought it was fitting."