Infielder Daniel Murphy Could Be Good Fit For Oakland Athletics – But At A Price

Even though the Oakland Athletics currently have Marcus Semien and Brett Lawrie covering the middle infield, there is the possibility that the A’s will acquire a more veteran infielder for next year. This offseason has an unusual amount of middle infielder free agents, so the Athletics have a lot of quality players from which they can choose. However, there is one player Oakland could have their eye one – infielder Daniel Murphy.

Ultimately, Murphy would provide veteran experience in the middle infield – something the A’s desperately need. He will turn 31 in April 2016 and has six years of MLB experience under his belt. Murphy would also bring a pretty powerful bat to the A’s lineup and his numbers are very comparable to some of the other top hitters in Oakland’s clubhouse. During the regular season this year, Murphy hit .281 with 14 homers and 73 RBI. Josh Reddick, who led the team in many of the standard batting statistics in 2015, batted .272 this season with 20 home runs and 77 RBI.

Additionally, even though Murphy usually fields at second, he has consistently played at other positions including first base, third base, and a little bit in left field. So, Murphy could not only help mentor Semien, but he could also provide some backup at first where the Athletics currently have rookie Mark Canha slotted as the starting first baseman on their depth chart.

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Unfortunately for the A’s, he would have been much cheaper to acquire before the beginning of the postseason. If Murphy brought the same consistent production he had in the regular season to the playoffs, his price tag would not be too high. However, he has been extremely hot throughout the postseason and is likely to get a huge payday because of this success for the 2016 season.

Murphy has been the New York Mets’ playoff hero and has even set a postseason record by hitting a home run in six consecutive games. He currently has seven long balls and 11 RBI over the nine postseason games in which he has played in 2015. If this continues during the World Series, he will likely be the World Series MVP if the Mets win.

It was initially predicted that Murphy may only get $40 million for a four year contract. This was before he went on his postseason hot streak. But now, some are saying Murphy could bank up to $75 million for a five year deal. Due to his age, $75 million may be a stretch for a long term contract, but he will definitely be making more than what was first projected before the playoffs began.

It will be up to the A’s to deem if Murphy is worth the money. There are other areas that definitely need some more help such as the bullpen and Oakland may want to spend more dough to boost those areas instead of the middle infield. If Murphy does command a high price tag due to his postseason success, it is unlikely the Oakland Athletics will try to sign him this offseason.

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