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He didn’t keep it going during the World Series, but Daniel Murphy’s seven home runs in the NLDS and NLCS propelled the New York Mets to the National League pennant. It was also a case of great timing for Murphy, as he is now a free agent set for a nice payday with his postseason power surge to boost his value.
The Mets have extended a $15.8 million qualifying offer to Murphy, which means they get draft pick compensation if another team signs him. Murphy could accept the qualifying offer and stay with the Mets, but he is expected to turn it down and pursue a multi-year deal this winter.
Plenty of teams are sure to have interest in Murphy, and according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports the Colorado Rockies have considered signing him to play first base.
Sources: The #Rockies have discussed internally the possibility of signing free agent Daniel Murphy to play first base.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 7, 2015
Murphy has mostly played second base in recent years, but he has experience at third base (41 starts in 2015) and started 97 games at first base for the Mets in 2009 and he made 14 starts there in 2015.
Murphy posted a slash-line of .281/.322/.449 with 14 home runs, 73 RBI and 38 doubles during the 2015 regular season, so his bat clearly looks a little better at second or third base. Colorado is well-situated at both of those spots though, with Nolan Arenado at third base and D.J. LeMahieu coming off a solid 2015 season at second base. But their situation at first base is much murkier, with Justin Morneau not returning, and any interest in Murphy to play the position suggests the Rockies aren’t ready to rely on Ben Paulsen as an every day player.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors has predicted a four-year, $56 million deal for Murphy this offseason, and any contract at or near that level with a new team probably won’t look great in a couple years. But the Rockies should consider making that kind of investment, even if Murphy is not a quintessential power-hitting first baseman, since he can absolutely be a productive part of a good lineup in a hitter-friendly home park.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
