Sources: Angels to show interest in Daniel Murphy this offseason

The Los Angeles Angels will show interest in second baseman and third baseman Daniel Murphy in free agency this offseason, sources told Cover Those Bases on Saturday.

The Angels have made sense as a possible suitor for Murphy all along. They could possibly be losing third baseman David Freese to free agency. Also, they have had poor play at second base ever since Howie Kendrick was traded to the Dodgers. 

The 30-year-old Murphy still is not a free agent quite yet. The New York Mets offered him a qualifying offer and he has until this Friday  whether to accept or decline. Considering the fact that no player has ever accepted a qualifying offer in the three-year history of the deal, Murphy is a pretty good bet to become a free agent this week.

Murphy is a solid-hitting infielder. He posted a .281 average, .322 on-base percentage, and .449 slugging percentage in 538 plate appearances this past season, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 73 runs at the plate. 

Murphy's free agent stock shot up this postseason, homering seven times in his first nine postseason games, including in six straight. He made glaring error in Game 4 of the World Series, however, which cost the Mets the game and quite possibly swung the momentum in the whole series.

From a defensive standpoint, Murphy is a subpar player. He is below-average defensively at both second and third base, but has saved some runs out at first. His versatility could increase the amount of teams interested over the course of the next few months. 

The Rockies, Yankees, and White Sox have all been mentioned as other possible teams who could target Murphy. 

--Devan Fink 

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