Murphy not worried about future with Rangers

HOUSTON -- Rangers outfielders David Murphy and Nelson Cruz are both free agents after the season. The acquisition of outfielder Alex Rios -- who is signed through 2014 -- means the Rangers will likely be interested in re-signing only one of those two players.

Cruz is currently serving a 50-game suspension and, like Rios, he is also a right fielder. Since Murphy is a left fielder, the acquisition of Rios might give Murphy an edge in one regard as to whom the Rangers re-sign. But Cruz was having the much better season before he was suspended.

"I really don't know," Murphy said. "There's no reason to think about that right now. All I'm thinking about is winning. There are so many variables about me being a free agent after the season. I would drive myself crazy thinking about that. There's no reason to. Right now I'm playing for 2013."

Murphy went into Friday's game with the Astros hitting .224 with a .284 on-base percentage and a .383 slugging percentage. In 109 games, he has 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. That could suggest he has already been driving himself crazy thinking about free agency. He said that is not the case.

"I think it's easy to think that because the season hasn't gone the way I planned or other people planned," Murphy said. "But if there is one thing that's causing me not to have a good season at this point is losing my identity early in the season.

"Seeing the offensive players that left here, I thought I needed to hit with more power and drive in runs instead of me being me ... hitting singles, looking for singles, driving out of the ballpark once in a while, hitting doubles. I was expecting too much out of myself and trying to do too much."