Daniel Murphy said no to the Mets’ qualifying offer and the $15.8 million that came with it. Instead, the infielder will test free agency with no parachute.
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The offers extended by their present teams, determined by averaging the top 125 salaries of the 2015 season, guaranteed draft pick compensation for clubs when lost free agents signed with new teams. Murphy will now explore the free agent market to see if he can find a multi-year deal for more money. He became the first player ever to hit a home run in six straight postseason games, and his heroics in the NLCS earned him MVP honors for the four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
Murphy’s decision means the end of his time with the Mets, which drafted him in the 13th round in the year of 2006. From postseason hero to World Series goat, Murphy provided the Mets with a few unforgettable moments, both good and bad.
The Mets had been waiting on Murphy’s reply to get started on their offseason activity.
“That’s obviously a big factor – whether he’s back or not”, assistant general manager John Ricco said. “That will guide us in the short term, at least, in one direction or another”. 327 for Triple-A Las Vegas this season. Earlier this month, general manager Sandy Alderson described Herrera as a “viable alternative from within the organization”.
If Murphy departs the Mets, it will be a tough blow for a team that is also set to lose one of its premier power bats in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The Braves wound up dealing Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.
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None of the 34 qualifying offers was accepted in the first three years of baseball’s current collective bargaining agreement and 20 more were made last week. They inquired about Atlanta Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, but the talks went nowhere after the Mets refused to consider trading one of their four young starting pitchers: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz. Until thus year, no player had ever done so since the system’s introduction in 2012.
