Tigers, Blue Jays trying to pry Daniel Murphy away from Mets - MLB

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Tigers, Blue Jays and Padres have inquired with the Mets about the possibility of a Daniel Murphy trade.

Murphy, 26, hit .320/.362/.448 in 109 games for the Mets last season before suffering a knee injury while playing second base in August. The left-handed hitter has experience at first, second, third and in left field.

Unfortunately, the Mets have three of those spots covered, and many feel that Murphy isn’t a long-term option at second base, partly because of a lack of range and partly because he may keep getting hurt there. The Mets would probably plug him in at second anyway if the season started tomorrow, but they might be open to trading him now.

Sherman suggests that the Mets like Detroit’s Andy Dirks as a potential alternative to Angel Pagan in center field. Pagan is a non-tender candidate with his salary set to jump to about $5 million in arbitration. The Blue Jays would probably offer a young arm or two in return.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins needs surgery for a torn ACL after injuring his left knee Thursday fielding a grounder in a spring training game and is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

The Phillies did not say when Hoskins would have the surgery or exactly how long the slugging first baseman might be sidelined.

Hoskins hit 30 homers with 79 RBIs last season for the reigning National League champions.

He was backing up to play a chopper on Thursday when the ball popped out of his glove. Sooner after, he fell to the ground and began clutching his left knee. Teammates gathered around him before he was taken off of the field.

Hoskins, a free agent at the end of the season who turned 30 last week, hit six homers in Philadelphia’s playoff run last season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.

The injury was another blow for the Phillies, who will be without top pitching prospect Andrew Painter for another few weeks because of a sprained ligament in his right elbow. And slugger Bryce Harper isn’t expected back until around the All-Star break after undergoing Tommy John surgery in November.