The Phillies announced they have signed infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield on a one-year contract. It’s reportedly an $8MM guarantee that takes the form of a $7MM salary this year and a $1MM buyout on an $8MM club option for 2025. There are also bonuses for the Warner Sports Management client that can take the full value to $16.6MM over two years.
Merrifield, 35, reached free agency at a late age, due to both being a late bloomer and signing an extension with the Royals. He made his major league debut in 2016 at the age of 27 and didn’t truly establish himself until the year after, his age-28 campaign.
From 2017 to 2020, Merrifield was solidly above-average at the plate and in other areas as well. He only walked in 6.3% of his plate appearances but limited his strikeouts to a 15.4% clip. His .297/.345/.452 batting line in that time amounted to a wRC+ of 111, or 11% better than league average. He also stole 111 bases in that time while providing quality defense at second base and all three outfield positions.
In the midst of that stretch, Merrifield signed a four-year, $16.25MM extension with the Royals, with that deal having a club option as well. He didn’t have a lot of leverage since his late-bloomer status meant that he wasn’t slated to reach free agency until after his age-33 season. That extension allowed him to lock in some decent money while giving up his age-34 season via that club option. The Royals would later trigger that option in advance, as part of restructuring his deal in early 2022.
The past three seasons have seen Merrifield’s production slip, a period of time that saw him traded to the Blue Jays midway through. Since the start of the 2021 campaign, his walk and strikeout rates have both stayed low as he has hit .269/.313/.392 for a wRC+ of 92. He added another 94 steals but his defensive metrics have taken a step back. In the outfield, both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average have considered him to be subpar in those recent years. OAA still likes his work at second base, whereas DRS gave him +14 at the keystone in 2021 but negative numbers in the past two years.
Coming into the offseason, MLBTR predicted that Merrifield could get $18MM over two years. This contract takes roughly that same shape but only half of it is guaranteed, with the second half depending on whether or not that option is picked up.
For the Phillies, Merrifield is likely to serve as a bench/utility piece, though one that could see fairly regular playing time. The club has Bryson Stott at second base, though he’s a left-handed hitter. Merrifield is right-handed and has modest traditional platoon splits in his career: .289/.335/.458 batting line and 111 wRC+ against lefties compared with a .282/.328/.407 line and 97 wRC+ the rest of the time. Stott actually has reverse splits overall but was even in 2023.
In the outfield, with Bryce Harper now entrenched at first base and Kyle Schwarber likely to be a regular as the designated hitter, that leaves Nick Castellanos as the everyday option in right field and Johan Rojas in center. There’s some uncertainty with Brandon Marsh in left after he recently had arthroscopic knee surgery. The Phils are still hopeful of him being ready for Opening Day but it will be tight. He also hits left-handed has strong platoon splits for his career, with a .272/.347/.438 line and 115 wRC+ against righties but a .223/.278/.312 showing and 63 wRC+ against southpaws.
If Marsh were to miss time, the options to replace him weren’t terribly inspiring. Neither Cristian Pache nor Jake Cave have hit much in their big league careers. It seems Merrifield could see some left field time, either covering for Marsh or platooning with him once he’s healthy. He could also cover second on occasion if Bryson Stott needs a breather. He has a tiny bit of experience on the infield corners so could perhaps spell either Harper or Alec Bohm from time to time, as well as serving as a pinch runner if he’s not in the starting lineup. After the Marsh injury, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski downplayed the club’s likelihood of acquiring outfield help as they didn’t really have the playing time to offer, but Merrifield’s versatility makes him a better fit than a traditional outfielder.
The move brings the Philadelphia payroll to $246MM, per Roster Resource. That’s a bit north of last year’s $243 Opening Day figure, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. RR has their competitive balance tax figure at $261MM, above the second tax tier of $257MM. They also finished last year between the second and third tax tier. Going over the third line, which is $277MM, would require the club to have its top 2025 draft pick moved back 10 spots.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com first connected the two sides on an $8MM guarantee and first had the $1MM buyout. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first relayed the 2025 option and details.
there we go
So instead of calling Kingery Whitfield-light, they just go out and sign the original. I’m cool with that.
Now: Free Kingery
No doubt Merrifield is a nit-Whit who let down his teammates
nypost.com/2022/07/15/royals-gm-dayton-moore-disgu…
Let it go man, let……it…..go.
You people ruined sports on every forum long enough. Stop caring about other people’s medical decisions. Baseball. Is. Back.
Well said, Mike!!
This explains why you think highly of Stroman, Manny. Merrifield didn’t set the Jays ablaze on his way out like Stro show did. What a crock…
You people?
IBM, whenever I hear that phrase now, my first thought goes to the Baywatch movie (@2018?) scene. Choked on my popcorn.
Mike Williams
“You people”? Really?
I do not support mandatory vaccination, but a “team player” will take a 2×4 to the gut if that’s what it takes to be on the field with his brothers.
When Taylor Swift replaces the old guy as the Dem nominee for President, you can take it up with the first dude, Travis Kelce.
@Manny, yes “you people” the scolds of the world who can’t mind their business. Mind your business, Manny. Baseball. Is. Back.
Mike Williams
Laughing at you 438 million times
Your logic: if your brothers take steroids to win you should too or else you’re a bad teammate.
Good stuff here Manny.
It is happening
Not the same. Cheating is cheating. Lawfully getting your butt on the field is what teammates do.
JT Realmuto will be happy to have him on board.
It’s only cheating if you’re caught. Plus, the pressure to take it was high 25-30 years ago.
It’s absolutely the same, and for you to tell another human being to inject something into them is ridiculous. And so is your opinion.
Apples and oranges
First, as noted, I am against mandatory vaccination.
I do think the president in 2020 should have told the public that getting vaccinated in the patriotic thing to do to keep ICUs from having overflowed.
I also think the patriotic thing to do is to expose steroid users and meth dealers.
If you’re against mandatory vaccines you’d let go of the BS with Merrifield to start this whole thing. Either stop lying or stop hating, pick a lane. I won’t ask you to stop being a hypocrite, or ignorant. You should be free to practice that.
The guy is a healthy athlete getting paid millions of dollars a year and he abandons his brothers at the Canadian border. Totally different than a union card-carrying welder who does not want to get vaccinated but needs to get food on the plates of his or her hungry children.
Came on here to enjoy a bit of Phillies news, but see the thread taken over by the typical off-topic pontificating trollboyz. for long stretches.
Clearly, they are at their Whit’s end…and when it comes to their wit it ended at the starting line.
@MannybeingMVP
Of course, because one’s health is less important than a game of baseball, sure it is.
Not a single person had any side effects, not one, yet here you are calling him a nitwit.
Disgusting & ridiculous comment.
@Ironballs
The ideologists.
Yeah, those vaccines worked so well. Almost everyone in the NFL was vaccinated that year, yet teams routinely had 5 to 10 players sitting out with covid every week. And countless others have caught it after being vaxxed. But keep getting your booster shots if it makes you feel more “patriotic,” lol.
I’m definitely the type of person to keep my political views off of this site as they pertain nothing to baseball, but I’ll voice my opinion here. Between you having issues with the braves and their fans chop celebration, to whit and his vaccination status, I definitely see the side of the spectrum you are on, and quite frankly it’s annoying. If you have an opinion that is politically motivated, why not just keep it to yourself? From what I can tell the political balance on this site are pretty even, lots of right wingers, lots of left wingers, and all you people do is stir the pot and make a simple mlb transaction turn into a political debate. Just shut the hell up and enjoy baseball being back, there are plenty of places you can go to voice your opinion on such matters without throwing it and your beliefs in everybody’s faces.
Looks like he made the right move to not get the vaccine. Sometimes it’s ok to worry about yourself and your belief systems.
Exactly. Against mandatory vax, yet Merrifield was also against that requirement…yet MBM is going ballistic here.
Actually it’s not different. You’re saying Merrifield should take it because of status. Hmm, ok. Real world: many athletes bought a vaccine and claimed to get it. You don’t think so? You must’ve been saying players weren’t taking steroids 30 years ago (here we go again).
Manny has admitted he believes in two tiered ruling system based on status. Good job. Never talk about equality again since you do not believe in it.
“Abandons his brothers at the border”….spare us the melodrama. The Government ruling power did this. Stop it.
BSC
“Between you having issues with the braves and their fans chop celebration,”
The chop should definitely go away though
Negative dWAR two years in a row.
Rojas, Pache and Marsh (when healthy) are all vastly superior fielders to Whitley.
You can oppose mandatory vaccinations and still support science.
The only valid argument against my post is whether to address the topic on MLBTR. Whitley’s stand on this issue is one of the things that he is known for, sort of like Roughned Odor is known for punching Joey Bats.
If you don’t see the issue when Whitely said “he would have gotten vaccinated for a contender”, then you are too focused on politics.
sports.yahoo.com/royals-president-says-whit-merrif…
It is not a medical decision when you say “I would have got vaccinated for a contender.”
sports.yahoo.com/royals-president-says-whit-merrif…
He was then traded to Toronto and chose to get vaccinated, so don’t create fake news that he was putting his personal health decision above playing a game.
@Manny, we get it. You’re morally superior for getting a vaccine. Let. It. Go.
So Moore was “disgusted”? Really? Based on what we know now, Merrifield made the right call for himself at the time. He should have been supported by management. At this point, only a fool would open his mouth to criticize non-vaxxers. They proved to be prophetic.
Clown remark.
Well, now you’re just being stupid. Wait, you were being stupid before too!
thehill.com/homenews/administration/555247-trump-t…
@Manny, okay we get it. You idolize Trump and wanted to get his vaccine so you guys can be twins. I’m not super into politics so I’m not impressed, but it doesn’t matter because…. Baseball. Is. Back.
It was a Government mandate, not a personal decision. You continue to lie to people. Stop it.
GGG
Muted
Dudes making 4 mill plus a year to hang out. Life can’t be that bad
Kingery has no complaints he made $24 million or so.
8 million isn’t bad, he’s a late bloomer so not a lot of mileage on him. Good candidate to bounceback to his early 2023 numbers.
His versatility makes him well worth it.
That’s true – he can play either a bad 2B or a bad LF and not hit at either position!
And have a couple good stolen bases followed by some really bad base running decisions, he loves doing the back to back steals and think catchers caught on
Leave…now!
Will be fun to see him and Turner on the bases! Is Dombo out of hibernation now?
$8 million??? For Whit Merrifeld??? Good candidate to continue to regress.
Yes. Agree. He might be OK but he is unlikely to be more than that. For 8M
@Very, he’s obviously not the player he was in his early 30’s. But he is an immediate improvement defensively for their OF. If he can hit .272 like he did last yr that would be more than sufficient for PHI since it ll improve OF defense a bit and it adds much needed RH bat.
he is an immediate improvement defensively for their OF.
===========================
If he plays. I’d rank him 5th behind Castellanos, Marsh, Rojas, and Pache.
@Joe, I’d rank him ahead of Castellanos any day. I’m not even factoring in Pache, his hitting doesn’t warrant him consideration as an every day player.
So ideally I’d say for defensive purposes March, Rojas, and Merrifield would be ideal OF. Obviously there is benefit to keeping Castellanos bat in lineup regardless if one views him or Merrifield better defensively. As for Schwarber, Phillies should no longer allow him to have a glove in the dugout.
Well thought out and constructed deal for philles especially team option year 2. Plays multiple positions, above average speed, defense and pop. Veteran playoff player. You sir are dismissed.
@Very Barry Projects to actually be a hair WORSE than replacement level, but at least his speed is holding steady at ‘almost elite.’
Still, talk about the state of the game when a 35 yo like Whit is getting solid 3rd/4th OFer money despite being bad for two years. Guess with Stott at +1.7 oWAR after a 2022 with .234 /.295/ .358 you don’t have to hit anything at all to be tolerable at 2B, either.
The Phillies may see some brutal OF’s if Marsh doesn’t heal quickly. Sending Rojas hurdling over AAA entirely was a nice move, but there may be some payment due.
Leave it to Phillies fans to cap on a lifetime .284 hitter and three-time All-Star. He’s aging but there’s a good chance he can help.
Good for Whit, the guy just hustles ALL the TIME !!!
2 hit whit, not a bad sign
“Hustles all the time” is the sports fan euphemism for “little white guy.”
“Gritty, brings his lunchpail to work everyday. Son of a coach.”
Who you calling “white?” We prefer Euro-American.
Seam, do we have to bring race into every conversation now?? (sarcastic)
Not any more, son. Your grasp of accusatory r^<ist sports cliches is so 2015.
Gotta have those little hustling white guys playing when very few American black kids don’t want to play the game. And before you holler racism, it’s the truth. They’d rather play football or basketball. So yeah, I like me some hustling white guys, they make the game enjoyable, along with the power hitting Latinos, flame throwing Australians, and two-way Japanese.
Nice signing.
That is what the “doctor ordered”!! Rojas very possibly will be sent down to AAA, and Marsh moves back to center, with Whit playing lf. A right handed hitting outfielder was what the Phillies needed!!
Anything that keeps a glove off the hands of Scwarber and Castellanos at times benefits the integrity of the game. I like both players, but man they re painful to watch in the OF.
Schwarber is brutal in left field. Castallanos has come a long way since his Tiger’s days. He has become a decent fielder in right field. Thompson doesn’t need to replace him for defense late in games.
history, Castellanos was an all-star last season. He’s still getting used to Philly, but he’s always been able to hit, throw, catch, and run. He’s not the weak link in the Phils’ lineup. Schwarber is because he doesn’t hit for average above the Mendoza Line, he’s the NL strikeout king, he’s the absolute worst defensive outfielder in the entirety of MLB statistically, he kills the Phils’ running game when he gets on base which is why so many teams walk him, and he can’t hit good pitching or hit in clutch situations. Acquiring Merrifield was a good move, but it doesn’t put the Phils in the world series this season. To get closer and free up some salary, the Phils should trade Schwarber for pitching – maybe to the Guardians for starter Bieber and closer Clase. Removing Schwarber from the leadoff position would allow Turner, Stott, and Harper to run early in the game. Removing Schwarber from DH would allow the Phils to rotate the older players through the DH and let guys like Realmuto, Harper, Turner, and Castellanos hit every day but get a day off defensively once a week. Together, these guys would give the DH a much higher batting average than when Schwarber DHs. Acquiring Merrifield improves the Phils, but not enough to make them competitive against teams like the Dodgers, Braves, Rangers or Astros. Schwarber is a luxury the Phils can’t afford if they want to get to the world series anytime soon. Trading him for quality pitching while he still has trade value would improve the Phils immensely. Having Merrifield and Sosa coming off the bench, the Phils already have a strong offense – if Thomson learns how to use them to the team’s best advantage.
Thoughtful post.
This page needs a laugh button
Why?
Right handed bench bat?
For $8M? I’m a Phillies fan and I also like Merrifield. Liked him better 5 years ago. It certainly strengthens the bench. I wonder who they will expose to waivers. Covey? Finally . .
Jake Cave probably
Cave has evidence, so unless they hired Johnny English to uncover said evidence…. He’s stayin’
Let’s hope so!!
You must be a casual fan if you don’t like or understand this deal.
You must have faith in Merrifield resurrecting his career and reversing the downward spiral in his all around performance if you like this deal.
He was more than adequate as a all star last season you inadequate son of a . And whit probably won’t need to resurrect anything playing some 4th outfielder and a bit of 2nd base. See Ya
A bit touchy there for a King Buddha, no??
Most likely Merrifield will play quite a bit. Unless Rojas shows he can hit ( less than 50%), then Marsh moves back to center, with Whit getting most of the starts in lf.
Nice move by the Phillies.
I agree. Good guy despite people’s anger over his vax stance. He can fill several needs, especially if Marsh misses serious time.
That wasn’t the reason for his signing. It is “protection” against Rojas not hitting, and having to be sent down to AAA. The rest is just a bonus!!
Marsh may not miss any significant time, but your point still stands. Phils needed bench depth. They got it.
That’s a good pickup by Dave
Nice fill in option for April while Marsh is sidelined. From there, the bench should keep him fresh.
Good option for 2b against a tought LHP to spell Stott.
It isn’t a fill in option for Marsh. It is an insurance policy, for the likely demotion of Rojas to AAA. That is the most likely scenario, with Merrifield playing left field most of the time.
There were recently comments by Dombrowski indicating that Rojas was the likely center fielder. The defense is simply too good to pass up.
That is correct, D D is ” hoping”that Rojas can hit enough to play everyday. That very much remains to be seen. Now there is a clear option, with Marsh returning to cf, and Merrifield in left. It’s now a good problem to have!!
In the name of offense you’ve just chosen an outfield defense that results in an extra 50 runs allowed, if not more.
Not at all. Marsh is good in center, Nick C, is much better than most fans think ( close to average), and Merrifield should be adequate in left. Remember, Schwarber played left field most of last year. Pache is an excellent late game defensive replacement. Rojas has to hit .250 or so, to carry him.
Oh yes every bit. Marsh was worth -3 DRS in 867 innings in CF, but 3 in just 136 innings in LF. Merrifield was worth -4 DRS. Starting him in left costs you 25 runs over a full season. Rojas was worth 15 DRS in 392 CF innings. The outfield defense is effectively torpedoed with your preferred alignment.
Just how much are you expecting Merrifield to contribute offensively? His 2023 OPS+ was exactly league average…
Marsh hit above his head last year and he can’t hit leftys consistently.
Marsh had a .717 OPS vs lefties last year compared to Merrifield’s .700 for the entire season. So much for that argument.
If his performance was great,he wouldn’t be a bench option.
Uh, no. His defense is a major downgrade compared to Marsh and he wears down over the course of seasons. Using him as a 450 PA utilityman is a win all around.
Rojas was 4/43 with 15 k’s in the playoffs last year. If he can hit .250, he will play cf. It will all play out in spring training and in April. These defensive ” projections”, are not real. A short body of work, doesn’t translate to a full year.
If you listened to D D, in November, he said that he would like to see Rojas as the everyday centerfielder, but that is not a given. He has to earn it!!
Even if you demote Rojas, Marsh’s best defensive position is LF. In that scenario it still makes more sense to use Merrifield in a utility role and start Pache in CF. Even if the defense wasn’t a massive downgrade, his production has declined in the second half three seasons in a row. The obvious move is to manage his playing time off the bench.
This makes sense with Brandon Marsh temporarily sidelined.
Sound about right. Average to slightly below average starter at this point
He was good until August then he fell off a cliff.
Well that kind of thing will hurt anyone’s game,
lol… yep
Lol I was referring to his numbers not literally lol
Did he fall, or was he pushed?
I heard he jumped.
Did his friends do it first?
Solid pickup for the Phillies. Keeps Schwarber at DH while Marsh is out and then gives them a player who can move around the field.
It goes deeper than that. Marsh should be back early in the year. If Rojas isn’t hitting,he is sent down, and Marsh moves back to cf, with Merrifield as the primary starting left fielder.
We got our guy.
Merrifield at that price is a steal. He should be able to sub in almost any spot but Catcher and provide excellent defense. His hitting isn’t what it was but he is better than many.
He had negative dWar last year and only played 2B and LF…
Germans? Pearl Harbor?
Leave him alone he’s on a roll!
Solid dude and good for the clubhouse. Can’t wait for the press conference from DD.
BUT this better not mean a straight platoon for Stott !!!!!!!!!
No. It doesn’t. It barely impacts Stott’s playing time I would say. Barely.
As *&^%$ as this sounds, my hope is that this means the Marsh surgery may take a little longer to fully heal….
Plus he can play 1st…..so hmmm
Merrifield won’t see much time at second base. D D ( won’t say it), but this signing was insurance in case ( fairly likely), Rojas doesn’t hit and must be sent down.
Imho, Rojas as the #9 hitter will do just fine. Regular season pitchers will give him pitches to hit as he is the weak link until proven otherwise. He began working w/ coaches right after the playoffs ended and has made -according to reports- great strides. Yeahhh I know. So we’ll see.
For now what better coach than to be around Kevin Long everyday?
Now playoff Rojas….well, teams adjusted because every out mattered and he was exposed. But it never affected his D.
We will know by the end of April.
Yep. Wiz Whit.
I see what you did there….
Merrifield -2 in LF in 2023. Meh. It’s not as if Rojas will start 160 games though, so Merrifield will likely end up near to 300 PAs
Rojas may not start 40 games, let alone 160!! If he can’t hit it’s back to AAA.
Anybody else remember when they were a contender to trade for him from Kansas City? Kind of a full circle moment, but he’s peaked since then.
Called it!
Dombrowskis at it again! Haha!
not a fan of this and im not against it just basically lines up with the rest of this offseason which has been pretty blah.
Little bit pricey for a super utility guy whose gonna get the most of his ABs in April when Marsh is out. But it does provide them with a viable plug/play guy if any player goes down with an injury. But with a full 40 man and a full bench, wonder who is gonna get the axe? Hopefully they’ll Old Yeller this Jake Cave experiment and put him on waivers. Especially since Pache is so much younger, faster, with more potential and a higher ceiling than Cave as a 4th OF. But that would only leave the team with 1x LH bench bat, and that guy’s the backup catcher.
They’ll probably move Marsh to the IL. Keep Cave & Pache with Merrifield being the opening day LF and then DFA one of them when Marsh comes back and Merrifield goes to the bench/utility spot.
Marsh may be ready by opening day. So many of you guys are missing the #1 reason that D D signed Merrifield. If Rojas doesn’t hit in April, he will be sent down to AAA. That is more likely than not to happen!!
If Rojas doesn’t hit, will he be sent to AAA? It’s still unclear after you’ve said it 15 times now.
Pretty sure he has $ on Fanduel?
Rojas will be fine.
Rojas will start the season in aaa. The kid cannot hit big league pitching.
Roster is the problem (see my comment below). Problem with getting rid of Cave as you note (aside from the $1M they gave him to avoid arbitration) is he’s the only LH off the bench right now other than Stubbs.
I’d hate to see them trade a guy like Pache or, even worse, lose him to waivers for a guy who’s 10 years older and clearly in decline. Pache’s defense alone is much better. And, it may not be repeatable, but Pache put up a wRC+ of 148 against LH pitching last year. Merrifield? 87
For me, having one lefty on the bench doesn’t matter. But Topper likes having multiple options on the bench.
Those numbers Pache put up was in limited playing time and isn’t repeatable. But what they need from a 4th outfielder is defense. It okay with trading Pache if you’re getting a piece back, but waivers would be awful. A 25 yo, speedy outfielder with strong defense and untapped power potential. I’m not saying he’s going to become an all-star. But I trust any young bats to develop under Kevin Long.
And Rojas will hit, he won’t hit .300 but he also won’t hit .090 like he did in the postseason. He has literal generational defensive talent. Best defender regardless of position in baseball. If he hits .240 and maybe gets to a .310-.320 OBP from the 9 spot. That’s more than enough.
Those numbers Pache put up was in limited playing time and isn’t repeatable.
=============================
SSS and all, but why aren’t the numbers repeatable?
BABIP was .327 with Philly. Slightly high, but with his speed, it should be slightly high.
HR/FB seems reasonable at 13.3%.
Whit is pricey for low payrolls and pretenders, the philles are neither.
I like the signing. I’ll be much happier if I see a Montgomery or a Snell Phillies’ signing as well this weekend.
Why on earth would they want Snell? Can’t pitch more than 5 innings, apparently prefers walking some batters rather than trying to get them out, wants a ridiculous contract for being a mediocre pitcher 6 of his 8 years…..
Hey Jays fans…Whit at $7-mik plus a $1-mil buyout or $15-mil over 2 for IKF?
This was like attending a four-hour concert, waiting for the surprise guest at the end and it turns out to be Yoko Ono.
Wiz Whit or without?
They’ll release him by June 30 like they do every year to a guy they sign to be a utility guy. 8 million better spent somewhere else
If he was like 23 he won’t be released then he was an allstar. He was called 2 hit whit for a reason after July though he went south.
I like this signing by the Phillies. I am glad that Merrifield finally got signed. My guess is that he will have a good season in Philadelphia. Good job by Dombrowski.
Duval and Merrifield were the best two remaining options. The Phillies needed a rh hitting outfielder, and they got one!!
I like this signing as it’s a pretty good fit. I’d say Duvall would ve been better fit adding some much needed def to that OF.
On the plus side though, Merrifield has been much more durable and available way more often. And clearly will be an improvement defensively every game it pushes Schwarber or Castellanos to DH.
I’d like to see Duval go to Boston now.
Yes they did baseball history. With Marsh’s injury, this signing comes just in the nick of time for the Phillies fans. Another solid move for them.
Stupid signing
The only thing is Merrifield is on the downward spiral. He’s not gassed yet, but just about there. Do you see how his numbers keep dwindling down? Did you see how he produced the second half of 2023 ??? Nicht so güt
The Phillies are only committed to the 2024 season. If he “falls off”, which is possible, then he is gone after this year.
How is a 1 year deal for $9M for a large market club with Edmundo Sosa, Jake Cave, Cristian Pache, Drew Stubbs, and Derik Hall on the bench a stupid deal? Even with his downswing he’s surely to hit better than any of those guys and provide more valuable defense.
Well bc I doubt that Hall will even be on the 26 man, pache and Cave are not locks and can go down to AAA. Garret Stubbs has the best job in baseball behind JT who plays 98% of the time and the Phillies need an insurance policy for Rojas. Is Rojas the .302 hitter that we saw for two months or is he the .093 hitter from the playoffs? The Phillies manager needed a stronger bench last season and he just got one. I’m all reality, they could still use another guy, but that’s a trade deadline thought if they are in the hunt.
and provide more valuable defense.
======================
He’s not close to Pache on defense, and that’s my issue with the signing. It’s s small sample size for Pache, but I’d make a small wager that Pache will have a higher WAR/PA than Merrifield.
Meh. Josh Harrison 2.0
You will be pleasantly surprised. Merrifield will get 400 – 500 at bats this year.
Ohh I think significantly better than that.
It probably depends on Rojas.
Good pickup.
“… gets a $1M bonus if he reaches 600 PA and another $1M bonus if he punches Orlando Arcia after every hit Arcia gets” hmmmm
8mil for a utility/bench player
All sports contracts have a “special” kind of inflation
Thanks for stating what we all already knew.
Guy’s gonna rake in that bandbox. Probably a good 60-80 HRs for him this year.
He wasn’t signed to be a utility guy. The most likely scenario is Rojas doesn’t hit, and is sent down to AAA. Marsh plays cf, everyday, and Merrifield, plays left, regularly.
Well… hate this move. Good move for the Phillies. He’s a good, undervalued player. I’ll say this though, I’m shocked he’s already 35. I had no idea. I thought he was still in his 20’s lol.
Bizarre, needless signing.
I disagree. Phillies lacked RH hitting off the bench. Now they have a versatile RH bat.
Complete opposite of your needless and bizarre assessment.
Article misses the roster effect. As it stands now, Rojas would have to be optioned. 5 starters, 8 relievers, 2 catchers plus these 11 who are locks or out of options: Harper, Schwarber, Marsh, Castellanos, Stott, Turner, Bohm. Sosa, Cave, Pache, Merrifield. That’s 26 barring injuries, trades or exposure to waivers.
Cave is the obvious choice.
It seems like we’ve been hearing about the Phillies interest in him for at least 5 years now. I like his versatility, he’s a solid hitter and good baserunner and a good insurance policy in case of injuries.
he was hitting 304/349/432 on august 15th and then slumped badly. he’s 35 and plays hard so maybe he wore himself down. getting 250-300 at-bats might be perfect for him at this stage
Literally was about to write pretty much the same thing. Guy was solid and consistent all year and was forced to play way more with the injuries and lack of production elsewhere on the Jays. With the Phil’s I could see a lot more rest.
Kind of higher than maybe I’d like to spend on a one year, but this is a great piece of the puzzle for Philly. Might look worse on the two, but he’s a guy that’s literally been capped on his earning power for years and when he had max value he was untouchable. Such a shame.
Bohm has to be mad. He’s the starting 3rd baseman who just fault to get $4 mil. Then they sign a bench/utility guy for $8 mil. What do you guys think?
I think you should come back when you have something useful to add to the conversation.
Honestly, I expected the White Sox to sign him, not because it was necessarily a good move, but because he was an ex Royal.
Will it be enough to overtake the dbacks and Los Angeles deferrals? Will have to wait and see.