David Murphy opts out of deal with Red Sox

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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Following some hours of confusion regarding the proper protocol, outfielder David Murphy notified the Red Sox Sunday that he intends to exercise the opt-out of his contract, effectively telling them that he doesn't intend to play at the minor league level.

The Red Sox now have a 48-hour window to respond to Murphy's decision. They could either inform him that he's made the 25-man Opening Day roster -- which seems highly unlikely for now -- or, release him from his contact, allowing him to become a free agent.

The day began with Murphy believing that it was the Red Sox' obligation to inform him of their plans first. But after a phone call with his agent shortly before game time, his agent corrected him and informed the Sox of Murphy's intention to opt-out.

Murphy was not in the starting lineup, but was inserted into the game in the top of the fifth inning.

"Looks like we're going to be waiting a little bit longer,'' said Murphy. "We'll see what happens. I'm holding out hope that I end up here, but all the same, like I mentioned, I'd like a big league job somewhere. So I'm going to keep getting my work in because Opening Day is coming up quickly.

“There's no hard feelings either way. It's the business side of baseball. They might work out, they might not. It's not like I came in here, 100 percent thinking I was going to make this team. I was thankful for the opportunity. But as a veteran player, it's nice to have the luxury to opt out sooner, to give myself the biggest window until Opening Day to try to find a job if it's not going to be here.''

Murphy was 0-for-1 Sunday in the Red Sox' 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and is hitting .273 on the spring.

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