Angels decline Murphy's pricey club option for 2016

The Los Angeles Angels declined their $7 million option on outfielder David Murphy on Wednesday, making the veteran a free agent. The news was broken by Buster Olney of ESPN on Twitter:

This wasn't a surprise to Murphy, considering the Halos' payroll flexibility (or lack thereof). Most expected the club to decline the option and look elsewhere for outfield depth heading into 2016.

In 48 games after the Angels acquired him in 2015, Murphy hit .265/.281/.400, totaling five home runs in the process.

MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez shared some insight about the move on Twitter, in addition to passing along some quotes from Murphy about his new free agency:

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

Of course, the Angels could wind up retaining Murphy if he doesn't receive a lucrative offer from another club...but that's not a guarantee.