On Monday night, David Murphy and the Boston Red Sox agreed on a minor league contract.
Murphy is going back to the place it all started. He spent the first two years of his career playing for the Red Sox in 2006 and 2007. Since then, he has played for the Rangers, Indians, and Angels.
The thirty-four year old outfielder hit .283 with 10 home runs in 132 games last year for the Indians and Angels.
The deal allows Murphy, Boston’s 2003 first-round pick, to make a $2 million base salary if he is added to the big league roster.
Murphy mostly played in left field last year, though he is well rounded and can play any outfield position, something that attracted the Red Sox to him in the 2003 draft.
“I don’t know if it was kind of the perfect storm,” Murphy told ESPN. “I know that I’m getting older. I know that the game is being analyzed differently now in terms of numbers and sabermetrics. I don’t know if that had to play into it or not. I know that there was a lot of good free agents out there on the market this year. I don’t know if I’m going to point to one thing.
Now, Murphy will compete for a spot in the Red Sox outfield, which consists of Mookie Betts in left field, Rusney Castillo in right field, and Jackie Bradley Jr. in center. Brock Holt and Chris Young hold spots on the bench.