Washington waves white flag, trades away Murphy, Adams
Essentially throwing in the towel on a disappointing season, the Nationals traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Despite a roster that boasts such stars as Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper, Washington went into Tuesday with a losing record of 62-63, 7½ games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves.
The deals came three weeks after the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, and the Nationals aren’t getting much in return.
For Murphy, who is hitting .300 since his return from knee surgery, the Cubs are swapping Class-a infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named or cash.
The 33-year-old Murphy has a .413 career batting average at Wrigley Field, according to STATS. He was the NL Championship Series MVP when the Mets swept the Cubs in 2015, hitting .529 with four homers and six RBIS.
For Adams, who is hitting .257 with 18 home runs, the Cardinals are sending $50,000 to Washington. Adams played for the Cardinals from 2012 to May 2017.
The Dodgers reportedly claimed Harper off recovable waivers, but the move was made only to block other teams, with no expectation of getting a deal done.
Harper, who struggled for much of the first half, won the Home Run Derby during the Allstar festivities at Nationals Park. Since the break he is hitting .350 with seven home runs, 25 RBIS and 21 runs scored in 28 games.
“I’ve been part of this organization for seven years, and I look forward to coming in and doing my job every single day, and I had no fear of being traded or let go on waivers or anything like that,” Harper said.
Cubs: In addition to the Murphy trade, Chicago also announced that right-hander Yu Darvish will miss the rest of the season because of a stress reaction in his right elbow.
Darvish left his rehab start for Class A South Bend on Sunday after just one inning.
Darvish, who turned 32 on Thursday, signed a $126 million, six-year contract with Chicago in February. But he made just eight starts in his first year with the Cubs, going 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA.
Marlins: Right-hander Jose Urena dropped his appeal of a six-game suspension for intentionally hitting the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. with a pitch. Urena began serving his suspension Tuesday. The Marlins, fearful the Braves might retaliate, had already decided Urena wouldn’t pitch against them during a four-game series later this week. Urena is expected to return at Boston on Aug. 28.
Yankees: Shortstop Didi Gregorius was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a bruised left heel after being hurt in a collision Sunday at first base against Toronto.
Infielder Luke Voit was recalled from Triple-a Scranton-wilkes-barre. Rookie infielder Gleyber Torres started at shortstop in Miami on Tuesday.
Gregorius is batting .270 with 22 home runs and 74 RBIS this season.
Giants: Catcher Buster Posey might need hip surgery that would end his season. The 31-year-old Posey didn’t start Tuesday against the Mets after catching all 13 innings in a win Monday. Posey is hitting .286 with five homers and 40 RBIS.
Angels: Outfielder Justin Upton was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a cut on his left index finger, but the Angels expect Mike Trout to rejoin the team by the end of the week.
Trout, on the DL with a wrist injury, has been away from the team following the death of his brother-in-law, former Angels pitching prospect Aaron Cox.
Mariners: Right-hander Chasen Bradford, a Silverado High School graduate, was optioned to Triple-a Tacoma, according to media reports. Bradford was recalled from Triple-a on Sunday and allowed two runs on four hits over three innings during the loss to the Dodgers.