For the second time in three seasons, the Chicago Cubs picked up a high-impact player midseason with some less-than-savory off-field behavior in his past. Looking to spark an offense that has fallen flat this month, the Chicago Cubs acquired a former public enemy number one in Daniel Murphy. Of course, I’m referring to his historic 2015 NLCS performance where he hit .529 with four home runs in the Mets’ sweep of Joe Maddon’s young team. Since returning from an early season knee injury, Murphy went on a tear, putting up a .336/.379/.893 slash line since July 1. On the year, he’s flirting with a .300 average for the third consecutive campaign – and the Cubs are hoping he’s the missing piece to the puzzle. But, regardless of how well he performs over the next five weeks, the signing comes with some serious questions that should prompt folks within and outside the organization to think long and hard.<doc-sep>The Chicago Cubs’ acquisition of Daniel Murphy from the Washington Nationals should spark the team’s offense. How will the move affect the Cubs’ lineup? Well, this is going to be quite interesting. It is no secret the Chicago Cubs have one of the deepest position player groups in all of baseball. Manager Joe Maddon can roll out a lineup featuring six former position player All-Stars when the the group is healthy. Now, that number could be seven. Tuesday, the Cubs acquired second baseman Daniel Murphy from the Washington Nationals for a low-level prospect. Murphy, 33, is a three-time All Star (2014, 2016, 2017) that finished second in MVP voting in 2016 behind Kris Bryant. Murphy is hitting .300 this season, albeit in just 56 games (190 at-bats). He did not make his 2018 season debut until June 12 following offseason knee surgery. He is also hitting .340 in 28 games (103 at-bats) post-All-Star Break. Maddon has thrived in rotating his position players in-and-out of the lineup since arriving in Chicago in 2015. Acquiring Murphy will make that slightly tougher on him, though in a good way.<doc-sep>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 Cubs have acquired infielder Daniel Murphy from the Nationals for minor-league infielder Andruw Monasterio and cash or a player to be named later, as The Athletic’s Robert Murray and Fancred’s Jon Heyman reported on Tuesday: #Cubs acquiring Daniel Murphy from the #Nationals, sources tell The Athletic. — Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 21, 2018 sources: nats get infielder Andruw Monasterio and cash or ptbnl for Murphy — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 21, 2018 The 33-year-old Murphy, who finished second in NL MVP voting in 2016 and had been a Silver Slugger for each of the last two seasons, has been limited to 56 games this season after spending the early part of the schedule recovering from offseason knee surgery. He’s been a great contact hitter as always, posting a .300 batting average and .341 on-base percentage, but his power has seemingly dropped off, as he’s hit just six homers and posted a .442 slugging percentage after hitting 20-plus homers and posting slugging percentages well over .500 in each of the past two seasons. It’s unclear exactly where Murphy will slot into the Cubs’ lineup, as he’s a below-average defender no matter where he plays but has substantial experience at every infield position except shortstop. With Kris Bryant on the DL, it’s possible that Chicago could either station Murphy at third or move Javier Baez to that position and keep Murphy at second, thus removing David Bote — who has slumped to a .182/.217/.318 line over the last week — from the starting lineup. The bolder option, obviously, would be to play Murphy at second and move Baez to short on a full-time basis, bumping Addison Russell — who has a .685 OPS this year — from the regular starting nine. Monasterio, a 21-year-old Venezuelan native, was in his fifth season in the Cubs organization. He had posted a .263/.359/.336 slash line with three homers and 10 steals while seeing significant action at both middle-infield positions for High-A Myrtle Beach this season.