Ex-Mets star returns to MLB in different kind of role

The last time New York Mets fans saw Daniel Murphy in their colors, he was making major league history in the postseason.

In Spring Training, the three-time All-Star will be back — this time in the booth with SNY as a fill-in for Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, according to The New York Post’s Mike Puma. Murphy will be a game analyst for at least two games while the real both — Gary Cohen, Hernandez, Darling — work five games apiece, Puma reported.

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Murphy, the Mets’ 13th-round pick from the 2006 draft, last played in the majors in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies. He attempted to make a major league comeback in 2023, parlaying a strong stint with the Long Island Ducks into a deal with the Los Angeles Angels, where he reached Triple-A (.295/.379/.362 in 169 plate appearances with 25 RBI and no home runs).

SNY has been home to several recent former players’ second careers, including Todd Zeile and Jerry Blevins — and even had Adam Ottavino, whom the Mets recently re-signed, as an analyst.

Murphy spent seven seasons of his 12-year career with the Mets, where he was last seen blitzing the postseason in 2015 with home runs in six consecutive games to set a major league record and helping him to NLCS MVP. Murphy signed with the Nationals on a three-year deal that offseason and was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2018 before signing with the Rockies.

Murphy’s Mets tenure was valued at a 109 OPS+, as he posted a career .296/.341/.455 slugging (113 OPS+) with 138 home runs and 735 RBI. According to Spotrac, Murphy earned nearly $75 million in his career.

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