Nats officially announce deals with Daniel Murphy, Stephen Drew

The Nationals announced this afternoon that they have finalized a three-year contract with second baseman Daniel Murphy. The deal, originally agreed upon on Christmas Eve and reportedly worth $37.5 million, was pending only a physical, which Murphy has passed.

Murphy, who turns 31 on April 1, will be formally introduced during a press conference on Thursday at Nationals Park with live coverage beginning on MASN and MASNsports.com at noon.

In addition, the Nationals officially confirmed a one-year deal with veteran Stephen Drew, who should provide middle infield support and a left-handed bat off the bench.

Right-handers Erik Davis and Taylor Hill were designated for assignment, making room on the Nationals 40-man roster for both signings.

Murphy, a 2006 13th-round draft pick by the Mets, played all seven of his major league seasons in New York, batting .288/.331/.424. The left-handed swinger drilled a career-high 14 homers with 38 doubles and 73 RBIs while slashing .281/.322/.449 in 130 games for the National League East champions last season.

Murphy's bat then exploded in the playoffs, smashing homers in a postseason record six straight games en route to winning the National League Championship Series MVP award. In helping the Mets to the World Series, Murphy batted .328 with seven homers and 11 RBIs over 14 postseason games last year.

Murphy, a 2014 All-Star, also has experience at first base and third base, where he has played 190 and 86 games, respectively, over his career.

Drew, a 10-year veteran, batted just .201/.271/.381 in 131 games for the Yankees last season. But the 31-year-old did smack 17 homers - his best mark since hitting 21 in 2008 - and drove in 44 runs. He gives the Nationals infield depth, having played 123 games at second base, 15 at shortstop and four at third base in 2015.

Drew has appeared in 28 career npostseason games, winning a World Series with the Red Sox in 2013. He was originally the 15th overall pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft by Arizona when Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo was the Diamondbacks director of scouting. After making his debut in 2006, Drew batted .266 with a .765 OPS, 70 homers and a club-record 52 triples in his first six-plus seasons in Arizona.

Davis, 29, was called up in September but never appeared in a game last season. He made his major league debut with the Nationals in 2013, compiling a 3.12 ERA in 10 relief appearances. Davis then missed all of the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was 1-2 with three saves and a 3.88 ERA in 37 outings over three levels in the minors in 2015.

Hill appeared in six games out of the Nationals bullpen last season, posting a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings. He was drafted by the Nats in the sixth round in 2011. The 26-year-old made his major league debut in 2014, going 0-1 in one start and two relief appearances with a 9.00 ERA.

The Nationals currently have 40 players on their 40-man roster.