The Chicago Cubs may have made the move that separates them from the rest of the pack in the National League. The team has acquired second baseman Daniel Murphy in a trade with the Washington Nationals, according to our own Jeff Passan. The 33-year-old Murphy is hitting .300/.341/.442 in 205 plate appearances. He’s set to be a free-agent at the end of the season. What does the Daniel Murphy trade do for the Cubs? The move gives the Cubs a three-time All-Star and former MVP candidate to plug into their lineup. Murphy hasn’t played at that level in 2018 due to offseason microfracture knee surgery that sidelined him until June. He’s still put up solid offensive numbers, but his defense, which has never been strong, has taken a tumble. Utilizing Murphy could prove to be a challenge. For now, the team can move Javier Báez to third base to replace the injured Kris Bryant. Murphy can take his normal spot at second. Once Bryant is healthy, the team will have to get more creative. If the Cubs want Murphy’s bat in the lineup, Báez could move to short to replace Addison Russell. The team could also use Bryant in the outfield, but that seems unlikely considering his shoulder issue. What does the Daniel Murphy trade do for the Nationals? For the Nationals, the move signals that the team is ready to tear it all down. Shortly after dealing Murphy, the team also traded Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals, according to Jeff Passan. Bryce Harper was also claimed on waivers, though it appears he’s staying with Washington. In return for Murphy, the Nationals received infielder Andruw Monasterio. The 21-year-old has hit .263/.359/.336 in 436 plate appearances in High A. More deals might be on the way for the Nationals after the team failed to recover from their rough start. Infielder Daniel Murphy is heading to the Chicago Cubs. (AP Photo) – – – – – – – Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: • Elway triggers harsh response from Kaepernick’s lawyer • Only the Mets could lose in such an embarrassing way • Ravens rookie QB may not be ready for the NFL – yet • MLB star apologizes to ESPN over ‘fake news’ claim<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Essentially throwing in the towel on a disappointing season, the Washington Nationals traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. Despite a roster that boasts such stars as Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper, Washington went into a three-game series at home against Philadelphia with a losing record of 62-63, 7+ games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. General manager Mike Rizzo and ownership gambled at the July trade deadline, standing pat and expressing faith in the roster as constituted. The Nationals trounced the New York Mets 25-4 that night, but are 9-10 since, including a 2-5 road trip through Chicago and St. Louis that featured a 4-3 loss at Wrigley Field on a two-out, walk-off grand slam. ''We felt that coming off that road trip and into this most recent homestand was a time that was a litmus test for us ... and we felt that the timing was right to make the vital decisions that we had to make,'' Rizzo said. The deals came three weeks after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and the Nationals aren't getting much in return. For Murphy, who was hitting .300 since his return from knee surgery, the Cubs are swapping Class A infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named or cash. For Adams, the Cardinals are sending $50,000 to Washington. ''These are tough decisions, to trade a ultimate professionals like Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams is never easy,'' Rizzo said. ''We felt this was the best way to facilitate what we are trying to do not only in 2018 but beyond.'' The 33-year-old Murphy was a big hitter during his time in Washington. A postseason star in 2015 with the Mets, he signed with the Nationals that winter and was an All-Star the next two years. Murphy missed the first 64 games this season but hit in 11 straight before being stymied by Miami's Jose Urena on Sunday. Story continues ''My thoughts are it's really bittersweet,'' Murphy said. ''I sat at this podium probably 2 1/2 years ago. The Washington Nationals were the only offer I had. They took a chance on me three years ago and I feel very disappointed in myself that it kind of came to this point, I guess would be the easiest way to describe it.'' Asked how close the team came to including Harper - a free agent after the season - in the Tuesday deals, Rizzo said: ''You have to get a deal that makes sense to trade one of the elite players in the game.'' Harper, who struggled for much of the first half, won the Home Run Derby during the All-Star festivities at Nationals Park. Since the break he is hitting .350 with seven home runs, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 28 games. ''I've been part of this organization for seven years and I look forward to coming in and doing my job every single day and I had no fear of being traded or let go on waivers or anything like that,'' Harper said. The Nationals were coming off two consecutive division titles under manager Dusty Baker, who was fired after last season and replaced by rookie skipper Dave Martinez. Murphy expressed support for Martinez, without even being asked about him. ''Right man for the job here in DC,'' Murphy said. The Nationals' high-water mark came on May 30 when they defeated the Orioles for their sixth straight win to improve to 33-22. They haven't won more than three straight games since. ''We're definitely not in an ideal spot,'' veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. ''We had a chance a couple of times to gain some ground and couldn't really string together many wins in a row.'' Given the moves, Martinez was asked how he convinces his team that the three games against the contending Phillies are still big. ''What's funny is that I've had guys already come in the office and I don't think I need to convince them,'' he said. ''They know what we are playing for and they're all in.'' To fill the spots created by the departure of Murphy and Adams, the Nationals recalled infielder Adrian Sanchez and outfielder Andrew Stevenson from Triple-A Syracuse. --- More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports<doc-sep>
The Washington Nationals have traded second baseman Daniel Murphy to the Chicago Cubs and sent first baseman Matt Adams to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs sent Class A minor league infielder Andruw Monasterio and a player to be named later or cash considerations to Washington for Murphy. The Cardinals sent cash considerations to the Nationals for Adams. It is unclear where Murphy will play in Chicago. Javier Baez, who is having an MVP-caliber season (.289 batting average, 25 home runs, 89 RBIs, 20 steals), is the Cubs' primary second baseman. Cubs starting third baseman Kris Bryant is currently on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Murphy has experience playing third base. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the trades give his team financial flexibility for the 2019 season. He said he still believes in the players remaining on his roster. "I still think today we have the talent base on this team to play competitive games at the end of this season," he said. Murphy, a career .299 hitter, is batting .300 this season with six home runs and 29 RBIs in 56 games. He will be a free agent after this season. Murphy is hitting .340 since the All-Star break, 10th-best in the majors. Over the last three seasons, Murphy is hitting .366 with runners in scoring position, the best mark by anyone with at least 500 plate appearances. The three-time All-Star was the National League Championship Series MVP in 2015, when with the New York Mets he hit four home runs in a four-game sweep of the Cubs. He set a major league record by hitting home runs in six straight playoff games that postseason. Monasterio, 21, is hitting .263 with three home runs, 31 RBIs and 10 stolen bases for the Cubs' team in Myrtle Beach this season. Adams, who began his career with the Cardinals, is hitting .257 with 18 home runs and 48 RBIs in 94 games. He is 0-for-21 dating to Aug. 5 and has started only four games over that span, losing playing time at first base to Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals have been a disappointment this season and are currently a game under .500 at 62-63. They are 7½ games out in the National League East. The Cubs lead the NL Central with a 71-52 record. The Cardinals, in third place in the NL Central at 69-57, are also in a three-way tie for the second NL wild-card spot. The Nationals, who had finished first in the NL East in 2016 and '17, fired manager Dusty Baker after losing to the Cubs in five games to the Division Series last year. They replaced him with rookie manager Dave Martinez, who had been the Cubs' bench coach. ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.