Christmas cheer or "Bah, humbug" after Nationals sign Daniel Murphy?

Stability has not been the case with the Nationals infield as of late. Last winter, general manager Mike Rizzo made a bold trade, bringing shortstop Yunel Escobar into the fold. Except the plan was for Escobar to play second base, a position mostly foreign to the veteran besides a few games in his 2007 rookie season. Escobar bristled at the move and eventually ended up at third after Anthony Rendon hurt his knee, then his oblique and finally his quad in a frustrating season.

Beyond that shuffling, Ryan Zimmerman became the team's new everyday first baseman after serving as the franchise third baseman for the last decade. And because of all the injuries, Dan Uggla won the Nationals' opening day second baseman job. That didn't last long. Danny Espinosa eventually took over the position and experienced a comeback season.

The only constant was shortstop Ian Desmond, who experienced a rough season in likely his last in Washington with free agency lingering over his head all year.

With a decision to transition Rendon back to third and Desmond heading to another club, Rizzo opted to sell high on Escobar after a strong offensive campaign. Needed bullpen help was returned from the Angels with 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander Trevor Gott. Despite Escobar's affordable $7 million price tag, the Nationals felt his defense was limited for a move to shortstop.

Espinosa is believed as the Nationals opening day plan at shortstop. Despite that being the slick fielder's natural position, Espinosa's only played 59 games there over his six-year career in the majors.

That left 22-year-old rookie Trea Turner and 23-year-old rookie Wilmer Difo as the only roster options at second base. Both had a cup of coffee in the majors last season, but left questions if they would be ready in April. Turner, one of baseball's top prospects, could still make the decision at shortstop tough for the Nationals by significantly outperforming Espinosa in spring training.

So with concerns of inexperience, Rizzo chased coveted veteran free agent Ben Zobrist for second base. The 34-year-old balked at the Nats' offer, choosing a four-year, $56 million deal with the Cubs. They reportedly flirted with a trade with Pittsburgh for Neil Walker before the Mets struck a deal with the second baseman. Then an attempt to acquire Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips failed when Phillips rejected the deal with his 10-5 no-trade rights.

Daniel Murphy became the Nationals' next best option. Pending a physical, he's set to become the Nats' new second baseman after agreeing to a reported three-year, $37.5 million deal on Christmas Eve. At 30, Murphy is still in his prime and four years younger than Zobrist and Phillips.

While recently swinging a heavy bat, Murphy does bring a questionable defensive resume to the Nationals infield. He was second to last among qualified National League second baseman with -6 defensive runs saved in 2015, according to FanGraphs.com.

But Murphy brings a much-desired left-handed bat to the Nationals lineup with some pop. He smacked 14 home runs in 130 games last season and then drilled seven more in 14 playoff games. Murphy's fireworks display set a postseason record with homers in six straight games, en route to winning the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Murphy is a career .288/.331/.424 hitter with only 440 strikeouts in 3,619 plate appearances. He's a strong contact hitter who should bolster a Nats lineup that struck out the second most in the NL last season.

Are you welcoming the Murphy deal with egg nog or saying "Bah, humbug"?