Mets, Daniel Murphy Avoid Arbitration

The Mets and second baseman Daniel Murphy have avoided salary arbitration in settling on a one-year deal for 2013 at $2.925 million. Murphy had filed for $3.4 million and the Mets countered at $2.55 million. Had the case gone before an arbitrator, either the Mets' or Murphy's exact figure would have prevailed. In settling, both sides concede a bit in arriving at a (presumably) mutually agreeable figure and avoid any potential acrimony that may have arisen as a consequence of salary arbitration, a process which has been known to grow contentious at times.

A couple of weeks ago, Chris McShane discussed the merits of ranking Murphy among the ten best second basemen in baseball and ultimately concluded that, while his bat may justify such a high rating, his defense probably knocks him back a bit.

Murphy's name surfaced in occasional trade rumors this past offseason, and he remains a candidate to be dealt particularly if he has a good first half. His 2013 salary is manageable, but in 2014 and 2015 he'll be looking at higher salaries still, and the Mets would do well to listen to offers should any serious suitors emerge.