The Nationals have an agreement in place to sign second baseman Daniel Murphy to a three-year deal, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden and Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Murphy, 30, has been an above-average hitter in each of his last five seasons. For his career, he's hit .288/.331/.424 (110 OPS+) with 62 home runs and 402 RBI across seven seasons. He hit a career-high 14 home runs last season before going on a tear in the playoffs, knocking seven homers combined in the NLDS and NLCS and earning MVP honors for his NLCS performance against the Cubs.
Murphy should be an upgrade offensively for the Nationals, a team that saw its second basemen hit a combined .251/.330/.388 in 2015, per Baseball Reference. He'll also give the team flexibility in the infield, as he's made 171 career starts at first base and 82 career starts at third. With Ryan Zimmerman moving to first base on a full-time basis and Anthony Rendon shifting to third base, Murphy plugs a hole defensively just as his left-handed bat helps diversify a righty-heavy lineup.
With the signing, the Nationals will forfeit their first-round pick, No. 18 overall, as Murphy had rejected the Mets' qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason. The Mets will pick up a compensation pick between the first and second rounds of the 2016 draft.
Murphy, 30, has been an above-average hitter in each of his last five seasons. For his career, he's hit .288/.331/.424 (110 OPS+) with 62 home runs and 402 RBI across seven seasons. He hit a career-high 14 home runs last season before going on a tear in the playoffs, knocking seven homers combined in the NLDS and NLCS and earning MVP honors for his NLCS performance against the Cubs.
Murphy should be an upgrade offensively for the Nationals, a team that saw its second basemen hit a combined .251/.330/.388 in 2015, per Baseball Reference. He'll also give the team flexibility in the infield, as he's made 171 career starts at first base and 82 career starts at third. With Ryan Zimmerman moving to first base on a full-time basis and Anthony Rendon shifting to third base, Murphy plugs a hole defensively just as his left-handed bat helps diversify a righty-heavy lineup.
With the signing, the Nationals will forfeit their first-round pick, No. 18 overall, as Murphy had rejected the Mets' qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason. The Mets will pick up a compensation pick between the first and second rounds of the 2016 draft.
