At present, Mets are not inclined to trade Daniel Murphy

The Mets are not interested in signing Daniel Murphy long-term, but they are also not inclined to trade him at the moment. Writes Joel Sherman in the New York Post:

"The Daniel Murphy trade market is between quiet and dead. I checked in with three teams that I thought could use either a lefty bat or someone who could play third or second base and the message was essentially the same: The Mets are not in the mode of dealing Murphy.Here is why I think that is so:Murphy has greater perceived value to the Mets and their fan base than exists in the market. Murphy does not get on base at a significant level nor hit homers, he is a poor defender one year from free agency and will make $8 million to $9 million. All of that dims his value."

Murphy, who will turn 30 a week before Opening Day, is expected to receive roughly $8 million through arbitration in 2015 and is set to become a free agent after the season.

In 2014 for the Mets, Murphy hit .289/.332/.403 with nine home runs and 57 RBI in 143 games played.

Thoughts:

As Sherman notes, Murphy is a flawed player.

However, when examining the offensive players available on the market – both via trade and free agency – who isn’t flawed? When it comes to either health concerns,  poor defense, a startlingly low on base percentage, and/or a host of other deficiencies, every player has a knock.

What an acquiring team would get with Murphy is someone who has missed just 26 games over the last three seasons and who was a three-win player in both 2013 and 2014.

Murphy’s career 162 game average is as follows: a triple slash of .290/.333/.419 with 10 home runs, 40 doubles, and 69 RBI. That has value.

Additionally, while Murphy is not a wizard in the field, he’s worked hard to make himself a serviceable second baseman. It isn’t pretty, but it also isn’t something that’s a glaring weakness.

The Mets are right to be holding firm at this point when it comes to dealing Murphy.

When it comes to a potential in-season move, though, the Mets should be willing to deal – regardless of whether or not they’re in contention. It would be a risk, but the club has Dilson Herrera waiting in the wings in the event Murphy is dealt.

The worst outcome here, and one that the Mets should be trying like hell to avoid, is losing Murphy for nothing.