Daniel Murphy

An hour or so before the National League playoffs began, a scout with one of the participating teams wondered what the New York Mets had been thinking.

"Why'd they let Murphy go?" he asked, incredulously.

The Washington Nationals are on the verge of a playoff appearance, but a lingering injury to All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy's buttocks could cause panic. 

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Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy recorded the 1,000th hit of his career in the sixth inning of Monday's 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals, smacking a two-out, bases-empty double to straightaway center field off Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Daniel Murphy was the most powerful hitter on the planet for a couple of weeks last October. But once he cooled down in the World Series, it sure seemed like that was that.

Or maybe not, as it turns out.

Infielder Daniel Murphy reportedly agreed Thursday to a three-year deal with the Washington Nationals, per Jim Bowden of ESPN. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports confirmed the news. 

Second baseman Daniel Murphy turned heads in the postseason when he helped lead the New York Mets to the World Series, but he could reportedly join the Washington Nationals for the 2016 campaign given the latest speculation.

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A week removed from baseball, MLB's offseason rumor mill has quickly reached full throttle with trade and free-agent chatter.

NEW YORK — The games change quickly, and the stories do, too. Baseball is a game meant to be judged over time, but the postseason gives us little, and the World Series gives us less.

One pitch. One home run. One little ground ball that rolls under a glove and into history.

"I wish I would have caught it," Daniel Murphy said late on Halloween night, when the trick was on him.

Each one of Daniel Murphy's home runs this October wasn't accompanied by a cartoon cash-register sound effect, though they all probably should have been.

Murphy slugged the New York Mets to the World Series, sure. But he's also bashing himself toward a hefty free-agent payday this winter.

How hefty will it be? And how hefty should it be? Let's parse those questions.

The New York Mets didn’t want to leave any doubt in the minds of the casual fans. An 8-3 thrashing in Game 4 on Wednesday and a sweep of the Chicago Cubs meant they secured their place as the best team in the National League and a spot in the World Series.