Yankees 2016 Potential Free Agent Target: Daniel Murphy

2015 Statistics: 130 G, .281/.322/.449, 14 HR, 73 RBI, 110 wRC+

2016 Age: 31

Position: Second baseman

Ever since Robinson Cano packed his bags and moved to Seattle, the Yankees have been trying to find a new second baseman. In 2014, they filled the position with Brian Roberts and Stephen Drew, and that went poorly for both players. For some reason, the Yankees brought Drew back again last year and he was the starting second baseman for most of the season, with appearances by Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder as well. Now that Drew's contract is up, the Yankees appear to be in the hunt for a new second baseman once again. Should they sign Daniel Murphy?

Murphy broke into the majors with the Mets' organization in 2008 and hit .288/.331/.424 during his tenure there. He has been a consistently solid hitter over the past several years, and even hit the most home runs in his career in 2015. Murphy also put on quite a performance in the postseason. Some will be clamoring to sign Murphy because he hit seven home runs during the Mets' 14-game postseason run, but while it was impressive, it doesn't mean that he's capable of hitting that way during the regular season. At the same time, he made some costly errors, and he isn't known for his defensive abilities like Drew or Brendan Ryan. However, Murphy can also play third, first and outfield, so he could backup other positions if necessary.

He is certainly one of the best free agent second basemen available, as far as hitting is concerned, but Murphy would cost the team a draft pick since he declined the Mets' qualifying offer (and Brian Cashman has expressed his desire to keep the Yankees' draft pick if possible). Ultimately, it's not absolutely critical that the Yankees sign a second baseman since they already have a few alternatives available. A platoon of Ackley and Refsnyder would not be ideal, but that platoon sounds like it has much more potential than Drew did last year, though that's probably what most fans thought when the Yankees brought in Drew to replace Roberts. Since Cashman has been reluctant to give up draft picks recently, the team might be more interested in the idea of signing Ben Zobrist to play second base, since he was traded mid-season and therefore wouldn't cost the Yankees a draft pick. Zobrist has the benefit of being the better hitter and is capable of playing just about every position. The only real advantage that Murphy might have over Zobrist would be that Murphy is four years younger, and teams might be hesitant to give out a four-year deal that would sign Zobrist through the age of 38 years old.

Do you think the Yankees should prioritize signing a second baseman or stick with the platoon of Ackley and Refsnyder? Would you rather see the team sign Murphy or Zobrist?