Just Mets

For the last year or two, it has seemed all but certain Daniel Murphy’s time with the Mets would run out following the conclusion of the 2015 season.

The Mets have shown no inclining towards extending Murphy during his arbitration years or buying out his first few years of free agency. In talking with people inside the organization over the last couple of years, the discussion about the future of second base never once included Murphy’s name, further suggesting they would let Murphy walk once they lost control of him after this season.

It stood to reason. Murphy is an excellent, professional hitter for the top of a lineup. He is a quality singles and doubles hitter who has remained consistent from his age-25-30 seasons.

However, Murphy has shown to be a below average defensive player at several positions in that time, often being a liability and one to cost runs in the process. He also has shown questionable instincts and a knack for getting injured as well.

As such, he’s been viewed as overvalued at his $8.5 million salary in 2015, and a risky extension candidate through the last few years.

But there was a single assumption being made in this thinking: he was viewed primarily as a second baseman with the Mets, as they had their staple in David Wright at third base.

While it’s sad to say this, it’s possible Wright can no longer be considered a staple at third base for the Mets now that he’s been diagnosed with spinal stenosis with no realistic timetable for him to return.

Hopefully, this proves inaccurate.

But putting all of that into perspective, does the uncertainty surrounding David Wright make Murphy more valuable to the Mets – as a third baseman – going forward? It’s a reasonable question to ponder.

Murphy isn’t Wright at third base, but he is a far superior third baseman than he is first or second baseman. Murphy knows the Mets and has proven he can play in New York and at least be a successful hitter as well. He provides an offensive solution at third base in the event Wright’s absence extends into next season and/or he’s unable to remain healthy for an extended duration. They proved to be severely deficient in that area when Murphy was absent for 22 games with a quad strain during June.

The question is whether or not Murphy can provide the necessary value in what is sure to require a multi-year deal into his early 30s.

They could always let Murphy go, shift Wilmer Flores to third and bring up Dilson Herrera (which seemingly was the original plan at second base) if Wright isn’t available. But as it stands today, that configuration would lack a true veteran anchor on the infield with more questions than answers in general.

Either way, the Mets may need to consider exploring Murphy’s place and value on the roster in future years at this point in time, thanks to what really is an unforeseen and and unfortunate situation with their franchise player.

Either that or they need to find another utility infielder to fill what could now be another major void on the diamond.