Chicago Cubs: What does Daniel Murphy acquisition mean for roster?

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.