As much as I like Daniel Murphy, I would trade him and let Eric Young play second. Murphy is at a point where he will make around $5 million next season. We may be at a point of diminishing returns for Murphy. Young, in his first year of arbitration, likely won’t get more than $2 million. Young’s lack of power means he cannot be a corner outfielder, but he would be perfect as a second baseman and leadoff hitter. Murphy is one of the few Mets with any trade value; if he could be part of the package that brings that big outfielder, the Mets should make the sacrifice.
via Mets Blueprint for 2014 Success » Blogging Mets Blogging Mets.
EY is .251 2 and 21 (with 29 SB) in 2013.
Even with all the progress he’s made, bless his heart, Murphy is still a bat without a position as long as David Wright is around. The Mets have got to be leading the known universe in infield hits allowed. That’s not all on Murphy, of course, but with the pitching that’s falling into place, it would behoove the team to focus on defense up the middle and find the offense elsewhere (another reason Reyes should’ve been traded instead of just allowed to walk; he left a hole without any return to fill one).
The infield right now is a puzzle with a lot of interlocking and, sadly, largely interchangeable pieces requiring the picking of one’s poison. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out.