Murphy Quiz

[Gwreck]

Daniel Murphy was first signed* by the Mets, played only for the Mets organization, reached the major leagues as a Met, reached free agency while never signing a contract extension, and then departed as a free agent (and not via trade)

Who are the other Mets who have departed this way in the last 25 years? I count 7 others besides Murphy.


*Amateur free agent or via Draft

[Frayed Knot]

Jo-Say Jo-Say

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Alfonzo?

[Frayed Knot]

Pell-Free Pell-Free

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mike Pelfrey?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Pelf

[Gwreck]

Yes to Alfonzo and Pelfrey.
Reyes did sign an extension that bought out one of his free agency years but we can count him for #8 on this list as well.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

El Sid

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

El Ster

[Gwreck]

Yes to Elster.
No to Fernandez, who reached the majors with the Dodgers before being traded to the Mets.

[stevejrogers]

Strawberry make the cut?

[Guest d'Kong76]

I was gonna say Straw, Gooden too?

[Guest d'Kong76]

White Bobby Jones?

[Gwreck]

Correct
Alfonzo
Elster
Bobby J. Jones
Pelfrey
Strawberry

Close
Reyes
Gooden (like Reyes, he signed an extension and hit free agency later than the soonest-possible date)

No
Fernandez

Missing the two hardest ones.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Looking at Bobby Jones' bbrdotcom page, he was around a few more
years than I could have remembered.

[Edgy MD]

Jeff Innis.

[Gwreck]

Correct. I didn't know that one until I looked it up to be sure. Innis signed as a free agent with Minnesota in the 1993-94 offseason but never pitched a game for them.

[Zvon]

Ron Hodges.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Not Hodges ... Vance Wilson?

[Edgy MD]

Terry Leach.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Not Leach. Came to Mets through Atlanta, and traded to Cubs, Braves then back to Mets, then traded to Minnesota.

[Gwreck]

Wilson and Leach both left the Mets via trade. (and Leach did not come up through the Mets minor league system)

Hodges was a free agent at least once, re-signing with the Mets. And he left via release, not free agency.

[Edgy MD]

Dillon Gee.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Josh Satin.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I just found the answer, or at least another possible answer. Hard.

[Gwreck]

The final answer I had was Dave Magadan.

Alfonzo
Elster
Bobby J. Jones
Pelfrey
Strawberry
Innis
Magadan
(Murphy)

(Parnell may also soon join this list)

[Guest d'Kong76]

The other one I found was Barry Lyons...
June 8, 1981: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 25th round of the 1981 amateur draft, but did not sign.
June 7, 1982: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 15th round of the 1982 amateur draft.
September 4, 1990: Released by the New York Mets.
September 21, 1990: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
(copied from Baseball Reference . com)
... but maybe the release makes it doesn't count for this quiz.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm not sure Strawberry qualifies. Wouldn't he, under normal circumstances, have been eligible for free agency after 1989 unless he had signed a contract that took him through 1990? 1989 was his sixth full season in the big leagues.

[Edgy MD]

d'Kong76 wrote: The other one I found was Barry Lyons... June 8, 1981: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 25th round of the 1981 amateur draft, but did not sign. June 7, 1982: Drafted by the New York Mets in the 15th round of the 1982 amateur draft. September 4, 1990: Released by the New York Mets. September 21, 1990: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers. (copied from Baseball Reference . com) ... but maybe the release makes it doesn't count for this quiz.

Yeah, I think he discounts guys released before their full control period of six years expires. He's looking for guys who declare their free agency, rather than having it forced upon them.