Here was my take on Daniel Murphy on September 25:
In his last 11 games, Murphy has a .370/.396/.761 line, with 10 of his 17 hits going for extra bases. He’s scored seven runs and driven in 10 during this stretch, in which he’s struck out just three times in 48 PA. Murphy may be limited defensively. He may do three things a week that make you scratch your head and go, WTF? But he’s also pretty good with the bat in his hand and is perhaps the Met most capable of hitting good pitching, especially when he’s in a groove like this. Keep making the farewell unforgettable, Murphy.
Little did anyone know that was just a warmup for what was about to take place. Thanks to 3 HR, Murphy posted a 1.143 in the NLDS. And in the just-concluded NLCS, Murphy posted a .529/.556/.1.294 line en route to winning the series MVP. Through it all, he’s deflected attention from himself and instead raved about what a wonderful clubhouse this is and how grateful he is to have extra time to spend with his teammates.
Murphy is a favorite of mine and there are more than a few articles about him with my byline over the years here. Take a stroll down memory lane and check out some of the stories below where Murphy was the main subject:
11/16/14 – Saluting Daniel Murphy’s productivity and determination as a Met
11/18/11 – The only choice at 2B for Mets is Daniel Murphy
2/12/12 – Why half the fan base opposes Daniel Murphy
1/29/12 – Is Lou Piniella a good comp for Daniel Murphy
4/21/11 – Daniel Murphy gets the job done at 2B
7/24/12 – Daniel Murphy’s adjustment at the plate sparks hot streak
3/22/11 – Is Daniel Murphy’s defense worse than David Wright’s?
8/30/11 – It’s still Groundhog Day for Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy
So, will the Mets extend the QO to Murphy and if they do, will he take it? That’s a story for another day. Right now we should all bask in the glory of his 2015 playoff performance.
And let’s finish with a non-Murphy thought – if not for a slide that broke Ruben Tejada’s leg, the Mets might have swept both playoff series.
I think that there will be a QO, he won’t take it, and somebody will give him a contract that is way more than he would have gotten without the last two weeks.It will be interesting over the years to see how that pick turns out for the Mets…it could be that near the end of the Harvey era there is a young fireballer getting ready to come up who is traced back to Murphy’s unconscious 2015 post-season!! Let’s Go Mets!!
I agree with TomC. I always thought the Mets wouldn’t risk giving him a QO but now it looks like they will even though they prefer him to not accept it.
I have thought that Murph would sign a two year deal, three years max, at about $10 or $11 million per year. I now think he will receive a three year deal and it could total close to $42 million total.
What will be interesting to see is whether Murphy’s next team plans to install him at a particular position or whether they plan to move him around from 3B, to 2B, to 1B and give him DH time too.
Hopefully when he returns to CitiField as a visiting player he is always greeted warmly in keeping with the fine player he has been for the Mets and the incredible player he was during the 2015 post season.
Just think that DM may will be remembered for probably the most significant SB in Mets history. Changed the entire complexion of the NDS and the Met’s fortunes with it. Now that was truly a heads up play from a player who has been known to suffer occasional brain lapses. I’m happy for Murph. Whatever he gets in FA he earned it.
Murphy deserves credit for a heads up play in taking that base. The Dodgers, on the other hand, couldn’t keep their head in the game while playing the Divisional Series? That play was the final nail in the coffin of Don Mattingly’s Dodger tenure, I believe. Nice guy, Mattingly; he just didn’t have his guys ready to play all out, every pitch.
In fact the Mets have out-concentrated both the Dodgers and the Cubs in there series. With the caveat that it’s hard to play a position that you can’t play, the Mets simply were in the game, continually, far more than the Cubs; the stolen bases, the play where Rizzo tagged first before going home with the ball, d’Arnaud coming up firing to first after the tagout play in Game One versus Chicago, all the adjustments the pitchers made….so many little things. Credit Collins, the veteran players, the overall esprit du corps with a mighty contribution to this Championship.
I believe there’e a responsibility to bring this team back, largely intact. That definitely means signing Murphy…maybe overpaying him. He has value and he is still Marketable going forward, even if it requires a share of his salary. He’s a homegrown guy…it sends a good message all around.
The same is true for Cespedes…. admittedly, a more difficult contract to sign.
I did a semi projection on 3000-5000 added attendance per game for 2016…plus raising ticket prices. It adds at least 15-20 million to the gate, conservatively. It doesnt count Concesions, Licensing, Broadcast, or other revenue streams.
Winning is very, very good financially! They should be motivated to feed the fire.
Can he keep this going on Tuesday or does a 5 day break end a hot streak?
One minor annoyance — who can be unhappy during these times? — is the media narrative about how Daniel Murphy was supposedly the last guy anyone could ever imagine doing this. Comparisons to Mickey Hatcher and so on.
Yes, the power has been crazy. But not that he won the MVP. We all know that Murphy can hit, and that when hot, he can hit a sh*t ton.
He’s been a very good hitter for a long, long time. I am shocked and amazed by the HRs, but not at all that it was our best hitter who came forward in these playoffs to be . . . our best hitter.
The great thing about this Mets team is that, sure, we could have imagined any number of guys having a great four-game stretch: Duda, Granderson, Cespedes, d’Arnaud in particular. I’d be surprised Wright did something special. That Murphy stepped up? I expected it. Guy plays with more passion than any other players on the club.
i’ve been a murphy fan for his entire mets career.
is there any chance at all that the mets try to resign him to a 4 yr deal?
On what the Mets do, I think a lot of that depends on Jeff Wilpon. Personally, I think DW is hanging on by a thread; my baseline expectation is that he misses a minimum of 50 games next season.
So in that context, Murphy is critically important. A month ago, I thought he was in the range of 3/$36. That number has gone up.
My first order of business would be to take him out to dinner, sit down, and lay out the offer. Four years with an option, $52 million. (I am making these numbers up, mostly.) I want him to stay. The flexibility is too important.
Then I would try to land Cespedes, knowing that it is possible that some other team blows us out of the water. The Mets can’t let both Yoenis and Daniel walk after this season. It’s unacceptable.
For Murphy, staying in NYC, with this team, in this market, is a value he can’t get anywhere else. The Mets should take care of this quickly and without fuss. My hope is that Jeff tells Sandy, “Get it done.”
And then, as I said, I go hard after Cespedes.
Well, my idea was, try and sign him for 2 years, say, at some inflated number. Sell Murph on the twin ideas of hanging with this team for two more years of possible glory, and still getting his chance at another deal while having already cashed in to some extent. Two years shouldn’t clog the new player stream too badly, or so the thinking goes.
Something I wanted your opinion on: any odds that Murphy’s new power stroke is really a permanent change? I readily concede that he won’t always be able to see the ball like he has been doing recently, but that stroke on Arrieta’s curveball really did impress me. Recently, at least, Murphy is able to drop down to uppercut a ball better than anyone I can name offhand. Might Murphy have learned a new talent at an advanced age, and might a reasonable forecast of his 2016 include 25-30 home runs? I keep thinking the answer might be Yes.
I believe they make him a QO and that he accepts it. He’ll move all over the infield throughout the season, allowing Herrera to see some action at 2B as well as Flores, and spelling DW and Duda from time to time at the corners. He’ll hit next year, like he hit this year, like he hits every year, and then finally, once we are comfortable with Herrera or Flores at 2B full time, he will be gone. I would offer him a 3 year contract for as much as 45 million and call it a day. I don’t think a few million here or there will be the difference for Murph. He’d stay if given a reasonable choice.