Market for Murphy shrinks after trying to stay in Citi

Daniel Murphy was Mr. October, but November and December haven’t gone as smoothly for him.

The scrappy second baseman is among the significant group of players still searching for a new contract after he kept vigil until the proverbial 11th hour, hoping the Mets would sign him to a new deal, according to industry sources.

Murphy’s hopes were dashed when the Mets acquired Neil Walker in a trade with the Pirates this month.

One source indicated Murphy had not been aggressive in pursuing other opportunities because he was convinced he still could get a multiyear deal from the Mets — despite team officials telling Murphy and his representatives they intended to go in a different direction.

It wasn’t until the Mets acquired Walker for Jon Niese on Dec. 9 that Murphy realized he was finished in the organization that drafted him, and he needed to be more aggressive pursuing other avenues.

Of course, if Murphy’s heart were completely set on returning to the Mets, he could have accepted the club’s oneyear, $15.8 million qualifying offer. But Murphy was seeking a deal longer than the one to two years the Mets might have been willing to tender after he rejected the qualifying offer.

All indications are Murphy will get at least a threeyear deal, but his market could be hurt by the fact the Mets extended him the qualifying offer, meaning teams will have to surrender a draft pick to sign him.

One MLB talent evaluator suggested Murphy’s market could be restricted to the teams with protected firstround picks based on finishing last season with a bottom10 record. The Tigers and White Sox are the two AL teams in that group, and Murphy’s ideal landing spot might be somewhere he can DH on an occasional basis.

Murphy has been linked to the Nationals, Pirates and Angels at various points this offseason but has not received a reported offer.

His stock reached a high point in October, when he established a record by hitting a home run in six straight postseason games. But Murphy’s warts were on dis play during the World Series, when he made lateinning errors in Games 4 and 5 that helped fuel Kansas City rallies.

The Mets believe they have upgraded defensively with Walker, who was drafted by the Pirates as a catcher before moving to third base and second. Murphy is viewed as a more consistent offensive player than the switchhitting Walker but with less power.

Walker hit a careerhigh 23 homers for the Pirates in 2014, while Murphy’s best power display came last season, when he hit 14 home runs.