Daniel Murphy hung around hoping to re-sign with the Mets, but now that it's abundantly clear New York won't be bringing him back, he still has options.
Murphy, 30, was drafted by the Mets in 2006 and New York is the only franchise he's ever played for, but now both sides appear to be moving on.
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Following his torrid postseason, the Mets tendered Murphy a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer, but he turned it down due to the belief that he could land a better deal.
The second baseman's star began to rise after slugged a homer in a record six consecutive playoff games in the first two rounds of the postseason and mashed seven overall in his first ever playoff appearance in October. However, his reputation for defensive miscues caught up with him in the World Series.
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Murphy made critical errors in Games 4 and 5 in the World Series, allowing the Royals to rally back. Kansas City ousted New York in five games in the Fall Classic.
The infielder had some interest from the Nationals, Pirates and Angels earlier this offseason, but he remained on the market, quietly hoping the Mets would offer him a bigger deal, according to the New York Post. The Amazin's never really appeared interested in bringing him back.
It became clear the Mets were through with Murphy when they dealt Jonathan Niese to the Pirates on Dec. 9 for second baseman Neil Walker. Though he has options, Murphy's suitors could be cautious with New York handing out a qualifying offer.
Any team that didn't finish in the bottom 10 in the standings this past season will have to forfeit a first-round draft pick to sign Murphy, but there are a few teams in the bottom 10 that could be a good fit for the second baseman.
Murphy is versatile enough to play more than one infield position, but given his defensive shortcomings, AL teams may add him so that he can serve as a part-time designated hitter rather than constantly playing the field.
Two teams that could use Murphy and may be interested are the White Sox and Tigers, though no offers have been made, according to the Post.
Murphy is a .288/.331/.424 career hitter with 62 homers and 402 RBIs.
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