Nationals sign Daniel Murphy to three-year deal

The Washington Nationals have signed second baseman Daniel Murphy to a three-year deal, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com reports.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Murphy will make $37.5 million. 

Murphy does end up with a sizable contract in free agency, but earns less than what I initially thought he would make. Murphy ends up making a little less than Ben Zobrist (four-years, $56 million). Overall, though, a $12.5 million average annual value is definitely a fair deal for him. 

Along with Washington, the Mets and Dodgers were connected to Murphy throughout the offseason. 

The 30-year-old Murphy hit .281/.322/.449 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 538 plate appearances with the Mets last season. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 2.5 Wins Above Replacement. 

Murphy is best known for his exhilarating postseason performance. He hit .328/.391/.724 in 64 playoff plate appearances, hitting seven home runs, including home runs in six straight games. He possibly earned himself millions with that performance.

It's unknown how much of that was true power or just some seriously good luck, as Murphy has not really been considered a big power threat over his career, with his 14 homers in 2015 being a regular season career-high. 

Murphy has never been a great defensive second baseman. In fact, he posted a -1.3 Ultimate Zone Rating in 572 1/3 innings there in 2015, ranking him among the 25-worst in baseball.

​With that said, however, the Nationals hope his bat will play well in Washington. He has a career .751 OPS at Nationals Park, hitting four home runs and driving in 32 RBIs over 56 games there. 

The Nationals have needed a second baseman. They dealt their 2015 second baseman Yunel Escobar to the Angels earlier this offseason. The team was apparently close to dealing for the Reds' Brandon Phillips, but he did not waive his no-trade clause to complete the agreement. 

Murphy was given a qualifying offer from the Mets, so by signing him the Nationals will lose their 2016 first round pick. 

​--Devan Fink

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