The Washington Nationals officially showed how they feel about their chances in the National League playoff race, as they dealt away two of their biggest contributors on Tuesday. First, the Nats sent second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs for a Class-A infielder and a player to be named later. This move sends Murphy to Chicago's Wrigley Field, as that will be his new home and he has hit very well in that stadium during his career.
Although, this move has caused some tilted heads on the Cubs' side, as they already have a second baseman in Javier Baez who is having an MVP-type season. Murphy has played primarily second base in his time with the Nationals, although, he does have experience at third base. That could be the answer, as the Cubs currently have starting third baseman Kris Bryant on the disabled list.
Murphy is a career .299 hitter and is batting .300 this season with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 56 games played. The highlight of his career came as a member of the New York Mets, when he was named the MVP of the 2015 NLCS. Murphy recorded four home runs in that series, which led the Mets to a sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
The three-time All-Star will be a free agent at the end of this season, but has been red-hot as of late. He is batting .340 since the All-Star break and leads all of baseball with a .366 average with runners in scoring position.
The Nats then dealt first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations. In 94 games this season, Adams is hitting .257 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs. He has struggled as of late, going 0-for-21 since August 5th. In that time frame, he has started just four games, as Ryan Zimmerman has taken over at that position. Adams began his career with the Cardinals and appeared in the World Series with them in 2013.
These moves will definitely help the Cubs' offense, which has struggled as of late. They rank 14th in scoring this month at 3.4 runs per game, this after entering the month at No. 1 with 5.0 runs per game.
The Nationals come in to play on Tuesday a game under .500 at 62-63. They sit 7.5 games out first place in the NL East, and these trades come after GM Mike Rizzo refused to trade away anyone at the Trade Deadline. Rizzo claimed that he still believed in his team, but now admits that he took a gamble by not making any trades on July 31st.
Although, this move has caused some tilted heads on the Cubs' side, as they already have a second baseman in Javier Baez who is having an MVP-type season. Murphy has played primarily second base in his time with the Nationals, although, he does have experience at third base. That could be the answer, as the Cubs currently have starting third baseman Kris Bryant on the disabled list.
Murphy is a career .299 hitter and is batting .300 this season with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 56 games played. The highlight of his career came as a member of the New York Mets, when he was named the MVP of the 2015 NLCS. Murphy recorded four home runs in that series, which led the Mets to a sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
The three-time All-Star will be a free agent at the end of this season, but has been red-hot as of late. He is batting .340 since the All-Star break and leads all of baseball with a .366 average with runners in scoring position.
The Nats then dealt first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations. In 94 games this season, Adams is hitting .257 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs. He has struggled as of late, going 0-for-21 since August 5th. In that time frame, he has started just four games, as Ryan Zimmerman has taken over at that position. Adams began his career with the Cardinals and appeared in the World Series with them in 2013.
These moves will definitely help the Cubs' offense, which has struggled as of late. They rank 14th in scoring this month at 3.4 runs per game, this after entering the month at No. 1 with 5.0 runs per game.
The Nationals come in to play on Tuesday a game under .500 at 62-63. They sit 7.5 games out first place in the NL East, and these trades come after GM Mike Rizzo refused to trade away anyone at the Trade Deadline. Rizzo claimed that he still believed in his team, but now admits that he took a gamble by not making any trades on July 31st.
