What does the qualifying offer to second baseman Daniel Murphy mean for both Murphy and the New York Mets?
By Aniello Piro
The New York Mets offered infielder Daniel Murphy a $15.8 million dollar qualifying offer to attempt to keep the second basemen in Queens for one more year.
Murphy has until November 13th to accept or deny the Mets offer.
In 2015, Murphy hit .281 with 38 doubles and 73 RBIs. In his time as a Met his production has remained steady as he put up around the same numbers every season.
In addition to being solid at the plate, Murphy is considered the hardest man in baseball to strike out.
So now with all the numbers out there let’s talk what the qualifying offer means too both parties.
Mets
- For the Mets it allows them to please the fans by at least making an attempt to resign Murphy. The second longest tenured played on the roster.
- If Murphy signs somewhere else in the offseason, since the Mets made a Qualifying offer, the team would get draft pick compensation.
- The offer allows the Mets to retain Murphy for one more year to season their infield prospects more.
Murphy
- Murphy loves New York and wants to play for the Mets, so the 1-year offer would allow him to stay.
- Daniel is 30-years-old and nearing the middle point of his prime. If Murphy wants to cash in, now is the time to do so.
- After a historic streak of red hot hitting in the postseason, Murphy’s services are at a premium.
It seems more likely that Murphy will not accept the tenure and test waters in free agency.
My personal belief is that the a Mets should resign Murphy for the following reason.
- He doesn’t strike out a lot while the rest of the team strikes out a TON.
- He can play anywhere on the infield. This is significant due to the injuries of David Wright.
- He is the only pure hitter on the team. Murph hits in the .280 range every year and has continusly shown production and growth in his game.
- Prospects don’t always work out. Why get rid of a sure thing?
- He loves the Mets. He’s been here for the good the bad and the ugly. He deserves a slot on this team.
Now yes, I know a lot of people are fed up with his defensive play, but he has made significant strides defensively and while we only focus on the negative of his feilding we should also open up the postive. Throughout ’15 Murphy has made some impressive plays that not everyone could make.
In regards to Dilson Herrera, yes we all know he can play defense which would be an upgrade over Murphy. The real question is how well will he perform offensively.
The Mets have the BEST pitching rotation in baseball, so runs will come at a premium for opposing teams. But if you recall the dog days of May, June, and July the Mets would only give up two or three runs a game and still lose due to lack of offense.
Prospects don’t always work out. I think retaining Murphy for one more year would only help the Mets and Dilson allowing him to perfect his game in AAA-Vegas.
At the end of the day, the Mets need to up their offense. So whatever happens to Daniel Murphy, he himself is not the single answer to the struggling Mets offense. Murphy is just one piece of the puzzle.
