Craig Mitchell -- Daniel Murphy, your days are numbered......

Bye-bye Daniel Murphy. Yes it’s true; Daniel Murphy was the Mets lone all-star representative this year. But I will venture to say that he will NOT be on the Mets in 2015 and there is some chance he may be gone in the next five days.

If that happens I imagine most Met fans are preparing to rip up their season tickets and toss their stuffed Mr. Met toys out their windows in protest. But, that wouldn't change the writing on the wall. Daniel Murphy’s time with the Mets…is about up.

Murph is a true professional hitter. That has never been a worry.  This year Murph is batting .293 with 7 homers and 38 RBI providing 125 hits currently tied for 7^th in MLB.  Hitting has never been Murphy’s problem. Murphy has a career batting average of .290 along with a career OPS of .755 and OBP of .334.

Fans have come out and asked Alderson if he was planning on trading Murphy. And to his credit, Alderson answers have been cagey. But Murphy is one of the Mets best bargaining chips. Sure, the Mets have a ton of pitching they can trade for a position player, but does a team ever have enough pitching?  I mean, a year ago who would have guessed that Matt Harvey, Bobby Parnell and Jeremy Hefner would all go down with TJS (Tommy John Surgery)? Besides, a pitching prospect alone isn’t going to get the Mets their Giancarlo Stanton type impact player. They will need to put a package together that can fairly compensate a team like the Marlins for a player of that magnitude.

But why Murphy you say?  He’s our all-star second baseman. He’s a solid piece of our infield, our line-up. True he is. But the issue is, he’s also one of the players the Mets can replace almost instantly from within.  Met fans have been confounded by the fact that Alderson and Collins have not installed Wilmer Flores at short. Sure, he’s had stints at the position, but they have been hesitant to give Flores a long look at the position. Most fans, can’t figure out why. Surely it’s not misplaced faith in Ruben Tejada. It’s probably safe to say that the Mets do not see Tejada as the shortstop of the future.  The only adequate part of Tejada’s game is his fielding. His hitting, power and speed are all subpar.  So why isn’t Flores our starting shortstop? Frankly because if the Mets deal Murphy, Flores is the Mets answer at the position. Why create a hole to fill one?

It’s true. Flores is not a short stop. His trials at the position haven’t been horrible, as a matter of fact they've been pretty good, but he’s still only 22 and is expected to bulk up more. He is expected to be a corner position player, a DH or at the very least a second baseman.  The Mets have watched Flores tear up the Pacific coast league the past two years. Flores has not only flourished, but has dominated in the Mets highest level of the minors. If the Mets where to trade Murphy tomorrow, Flores would be installed as the regular second baseman. I’m thinking Alderson feels not much would be lost in the exchange. Maybe initially, but they are fairly confident Flores will hit.

So, if Murph is gone and Flores is at 2^nd…..how will that affect the Mets defense up the middle? I’m

thinking not too much.  Flores has a much better arm than Murphy. His range is questionable, but it’s got to be equal to Murphy’s or better. From the sampling I’ve seen of Flores at short and third, I’m guessing it’s at least even, with an edge going to Flores for his arm and softer glove. Friday night’s game against the Brewers really explained why Murphy is expendable.  He committed 2 errors and his slow execution of a double play ball in the game came back to hurt the Mets as well. Murphy is not anywhere near a good fielder. He is inconsistent at best. He’s just as liable to let a sure double play ball hit right at him go through his legs as he’s liable to make an amazing diving play.  In the booth even Keith Hernandez has even said that Murph’s more spectacular plays would be routine with a player with better range.  It’s no secret that Murphy regularly plays a very deep 2^nd base to compensate for his lack of range.  But, giving credit where credit is due, Murphy has worked very, very hard to get to where he is as a fielder. Learning the pivot on a double play has cost Murph two knee operations, but he executes that as well as anyone now. Likewise, it’s not his fault that he’s just not a natural second baseman.  He never will be. That’s just a fact of life for Murphy.

The Mets are also bolstered by the rising star of Dilson Herrera.  Herrera, a natural second baseman was

acquired last year in the Marlon Byrd trade with Pittsburgh.  Just 20 years old, Herrera was promoted to AA Binghamton earlier this year and he is ripping it up batting .353 with 5 homers and 30 RBI in 33 games with a .978 OPS.  In 67 games at single A St. Lucie he batted .307 with 3 homers and 23 RBI with a .765 OPS.  Herrera is just getting better and better. There is talk he may join AAA Las Vegas by the end of the year or may even be called up to Flushing In September for a look see.

Both Flores and Herrera could also be used a trade fodder as well, but the Mets would get a lot more for an established all-star in any deal that comes down the pike. Plus, it’s tough to argue that a better fielder up the middle would make the pitching heavy Mets even stingier defensively.

So, while I’m not privy to any “official” Met news. If you are fan of Daniel Murphy, I’m just giving you fair warning to prepare yourself. With team control over Murphy ending at the end of next season and his value being the highest it’s ever been, it’s a no brainer that Murph will be playing elsewhere between now and April of 2015.