Washington Nationals trade Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs
After being placed on revocable waivers before the weekend, the Washington Nationals have traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs.
In a shock move on Tuesday afternoon, the Washington Nationals traded Daniel Murphy, with the Chicago Cubs his destination. He was placed on revocable trade waivers over the weekend, and it was reported he was claimed by a mystery team on Monday.
As it turns out, he’s heading the north side of Chicago and should give them an immediate boost on offense. So far in 2018, he’s hitting .300 with six home runs and a .784 OPS. But he’s really turned it on over the last few weeks.
In his last 29 games, he’s slashing .346/.376/.538 and has looked like the Murphy of old. Whether he’ll play second base or first base for the Cubs is still a mystery. But on a team chasing another championship, they need as many quality bats as they can get.
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The Chicago Cubs have been tortured by Murphy for years, so will be glad to have him on their side for once. In his career, he’s hitting .325, with nine home runs, 22 RBi and a .919 OPS against them. That doesn’t even include his demolision of them in the 2015 NLCS either where he smashed records for fun.
It brings Murphy’s time in D.C. a close after he carried over his momentum from that NLCS. It will be sad to see him go after he was a dominant hitter for the two and a half years he wore the Curly W.
The return for Murphy
In return for Daniel Murphy, the Nationals acquired infield prospect Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named later, or cash considerations. Obviously, given the circumstances, the return is not that significant for the team.
Monasterio is primarily a second baseman but profiles as a utility infielder at the highest level, at best. So far in 2018, for the High-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, he was slashing a mere 263/.359/.336 with just three homers and ten stolen bases.
Perhaps the Nationals are getting the next Wilmer Difo in this deal, given the similarities between their profiles. It’s better than nothing seeing as Murphy wasn’t eligible for a Qualifying Offer in the off-season and likely would’ve left for nothing.
Nats must develop more pitchers internally. dark. Next
This certainly comes as a stunning move for the Washington Nationals. Daniel Murphy was a fantastic player for the team, but with the struggles, it makes sense to at least get something for him.