Hot Stove Report: Padres Interested in Mets’ Daniel Murphy

According to Mickey Koke of Through the Fence Baseball, the Padres have shown interest in Daniel Murphy of the Mets. Murphy has played in 313 career games and put together a .292/.343/.441 line with 20 HR. He plays mostly first or third base, but has played in left field as well.

It’s not clear what the Padres would offer the Mets for Murphy, but he might make a nice fit in San Diego. He is just 26 years old and is pre-arb eligible. Murphy made just $422,000 last season and is under team control until 2016. If the Padres were going to move Chase Headley in the deal, I would expect another player in return. Murphy and a player to be named later for Chase Headley makes sense. Even if they don’t trade Headley, the Padres could use Murphy to fill either of their corner outfield positions. Murphy would rank as a below-average fielder, but his offense could certainly help the team. Murphy, according to scouts, can even be converted to second base.

So far, the Daniel Murphy rumor seems to be the most promising to me. He’s young, clearly has talent, is blocked at his natural position in New York, and won’t cost the Padres an arm and a leg. If the club makes a move, I would expect Murphy to be an everyday player rather than a platoon player as Koke suggests in his article.

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