Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy is bracing for the realistic possibility that 2015 was his swan song in New York.Murphy, who hit seven home runs in the playoffs and set a record with homers in six games in a row, was just 3 for 20 in the World Series and made a critical error to contribute to the Game 4 rally by the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City scored three runs after Murphy's misplay of a routine ground ball."I've enjoyed my time here. I feel blessed to have been a Met this long," Murphy said of his nine seasons with the team since they drafted him in 2006. "I do like it here," Murphy said after the Mets lost Game 5 in the 12th. "I'd like to come back. We'll have to see. I don't think there are going to be 30 teams offering me a deal. So we'll have to see. That will probably dwindle it down."Murphy, 30, batted third in manager Terry Collins' lineup and the cleanup man, Yoenis Cespedes, is also a free agent. It's possible the Mets, who advanced to the World Series on the strength of Murphy and their young starting pitching, will field a lineup with three or four new starters in 2016. Cespedes was 12 for 54 in the playoffs with 17 strikeouts. He was doubled up on at first base on a line drive to end Game 4."I didn't play as well as I wanted to, that's most certainly the case," Murphy said of the World Series. "I wish I would have swung the bat better. I wish I could have made a couple of more plays. But I can't get it back now."The Mets are reportedly prepared to offer Murphy a qualifying offer but at 30, the lure of a multi-year deal is likely to trump the $15.8 million one-year contract. |