Daniel Murphy: Best. Plan B. Ever.

1:51 PM ET

There’s an old adage that says sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. Never was that more true than in the case of Daniel Murphy.

As crucial as Murphy has been to the Nationals’ early success, it’s easy to forget that he wasn’t the team’s first choice at second base. Truth be told, he wasn’t their second choice either. He was the fallback to the fallback. The guy behind the guy behind the guy. So if you’re keeping score at home, the Nationals’ Plan B could technically be considered a Plan C.

Funny how things work out.

The Nats went into this past offseason knowing full well that they needed a second baseman. Anthony Rendon, a third baseman by trade, played second last year, but the idea was to move him back to the hot corner and find someone new to man second. Preferably, that someone new would be a lefty hitter — someone who could help balance a Washington lineup that had become more right-handed than your standard pair of elementary-school scissors. A top-of-the-order type would be nice, too.

Ben Zobrist, a switch-hitting on-base machine who helped the Royals win a World Series and who plays roughly 53 different positions, was a free agent. Naturally, the Nats wanted in. But like seemingly everyone else on the market this winter, Zobrist chose to sign with the Cubs.

Brandon Phillips, a speedy three-time All-Star who spent six seasons playing for Dusty Baker in Cincinnati, was not a free agent and does not hit left-handed. Still, Washington wanted in. But in mid-December, Phillips nixed a trade that was reportedly a done deal and would have reunited him with his old skipper in D.C.

The following week, on Christmas Eve, the Nats inked Murphy to a three-year, $37.5 million …

continue reading in source espn.go.com