Report: Nationals agree to 3-year deal with Daniel Murphy

Former New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy is staying in the NL East, as he has agreed to a three-year contract with the Washington Nationals, a club source told Jim Bowden of ESPN.

The deal is worth $37.5 million, a source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and is pending a physical.

The Nationals will surrender their first-round pick as compensation for signing Murphy, who had received a qualifying offer from the Mets. Meanwhile, New York will obtain a pick at the end of the first round for losing him.

Murphy, who turns 31 on April 1, spent the first six-plus years of his career with the Mets, accumulating a slash line of .288/.331/.424. Last season, he hit a career-high 14 homers and drove in 73 runs.

Throughout his career, Murphy has been known as an excellent contact hitter. In 2015, he took his contact skills to another level, striking out only 38 times in 499 at-bats; his 13.1 at-bats per strikeout was the top clip in the majors.

Murphy was considered a long shot to stay in the Big Apple, even before the Mets acquired Neil Walker from the Pirates earlier this winter. Numerous reports during the postseason - during which Murphy became a cult hero - suggested the Mets didn't value him as much as the open market would.

While Murphy was never known as a power hitter, he set a major-league record by homering in six straight games in last season's playoffs; he launched seven total home runs in the postseason, including bombs off some of the game's best pitchers, such as Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester, and Jake Arrieta.

In the NLCS, he posted a .529 batting average and swatted four long balls en route to being named the series MVP. However, Murphy's weaknesses were exploited in the World Series, as his power cooled off, he struggled to hit the inside pitch, and he made several defensive miscues.

Defensive metrics have never been kind to Murphy, in fact. He's posted minus-40 defensive runs saved over the last four seasons, second worst in baseball to Rickie Weeks.

Washington had been searching for a second baseman since the beginning of the offeason. The Nationals reportedly agreed to trade for Brandon Phillips of the Reds last week, but he refused to waive his no-trade clause.

Murphy's signing means Anthony Rendon can now move back to his natural position at third. Murphy figures to slot in near the top of the Nats' batting order, as they attempt to take back a division currently owned by the Mets.