Mets news you may have missed: MLB Rankings, Trades, and Retirement

An ode to a Mets original

On January 29, Daniel Murphy, age 35, announced his retirement after 12 MLB seasons and 3 all-star honors. As an original Met, and one who played his first 7 seasons in Flushing from 2008-2015, this news remains bittersweet for the fans who knew him longest.

Although Murphy decided to hang up his cleats for good, his iconic 2015 postseason run lives on in Mets history, leaving behind a postseason legacy of magnanimous proportions: .328 avg, .391 OBP, 1.115 OPS, .724 SLG, 7 HRs, 11 RBI, and the NLCS MVP honors.

Although the Mets miracle run faltered in the World Series, it was Murphy’s hot streak that helped carry the team to their first NL Pennant since the 2000 season – and that is nothing sneer at. Moreover, his playing years post-2015 were career-changing.

After a historic postseason performance, Murphy signed with the Washington Nationals on a three-year $37.5 million deal. From there he went on to post career numbers in his first two seasons in Washington, hitting 25 HRs, 104 RBI, 77XBH, and a .347 BA. during a career-2016 season before putting up similar figures in 2017.

In 2018, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs to finish out the remaining months of that contract before signing a new two-year $24 million deal with the Colorado Rockies prior to the start of the 2019 season.

This included a $12 million option for the 2021 season, which the Rockies declined in November of 2020.

But the Mets and their frugal owners at the time should have given him an extension back in 2015. He had just surpassed his potential and found his swing. And then they let him walk. I bet Steve Cohen wouldn’t make that mistake, but we’ll see how he deals with Lindor’s contract before we reach a verdict.

All in all, thanks for the memories, Murph. This city will never forget your pivotal role in the team’s amazin’ postseason run.