On this day in recent free agent history...

Sunday’s Say Hey Baseball talks about a Washington Nationals second baseman.

Two years ago today, the Washington Nationals announced signing a second baseman coming off a historic World Series in which he displayed pop that hadn’t been seen through any of the rest of his career. The team was in need of middle infielders after franchise shortstop Ian Desmond hit free agency.

Daniel Murphy marred his World Series by being a homophobe (see: these comments he made in March of that year) and the Westboro Baptist Church rallying in his name because of them. He declined to comment on the church in a pregame interview. There was not much evidence that’d he’d be able to replicate his postseason performance, and his defense was unquestionably unreliable.

But the Nationals had already missed out on acquiring multiple players. There was speculation that it had partly to do with reports that the Washington clubhouse was a mess in the wake of manager Matt Williams’ departure. The team, for example, had already missed acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Reds, for example, after he declined to waive his no-trade clause.

So on this day two years ago the Nationals plucked Murphy out of free agency. He had an MVP caliber 2016, placing second in voting with a .408 wOBA (2nd in the NL), a 155 wRC+ (2nd in the NL), and a 5.5 fWAR (5th in the NL).

His production dropped in 2017, but nothing that particularly spelled trouble, posting a .385 wOBA, a 136 wRC+, and 4.3 WAR. He would miss games here and there for unspecified leg soreness but finished the season with 144 games. But it was announced in late October that he would undergo knee surgery to repair articular cartilage in his right knee.

The Nationals have speculated that the injury could keep Murphy from starting Spring Training on time. His Steamer projections predict a noticeable downturn in 2018, projecting a 3.0 fWAR season. The Nationals lineup is probably strong enough to take that kind of hit, but injuries, especially knee injuries, raise questions about the general longevity of careers.

--Mina Dunn

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