The Chicago Cubs today acquired infielder Daniel Murphy from the Washington Nationals for minor league infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named or cash consideration.
Murphy, 33, is batting .300 (57-for-190) with nine doubles, six home runs and 29 RBI in 56 games for the Nationals this season, as he missed more than two months to start the year due to right knee surgery. He returned on June 12 and is batting .340 (35-for-103) with a .904 OPS since the All-Star Break. Overall, he is hitting .317 (45-for-142) with a .359 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage vs. right-handed pitching, good for an .838 OPS. Murphy has played 38 games (36 starts) at second base and 14 games (10 starts) at first base this year.
The left-handed batter is a career .299 hitter (1,380-for-4,609) in 10 major league seasons with the New York Mets (2008-09, 2011-15) and Washington Nationals (2016-18). Murphy has 327 doubles, 116 home runs and 628 RBI in 1,245 major league games while turning in a .345 on-base percentage and .458 slugging percentage, good for an .803 OPS.
Murphy has participated in post-season play in each of the last three seasons, batting .323 (30-for-93) with three doubles, eight home runs and 19 RBI in 24 playoff games, posting a 1.020 OPS thanks to a .407 on-base percentage and a .613 slugging percentage.
Monasterio, 21, is batting .263 (97-for-369) with three homers and 31 RBI in 109 games with Single-A Myrtle Beach. The Venezuela native was originally signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2014.