- The Phillies are signing second-rounder Griffin Burkholder for $2.5MM, reports Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline (X link). Philadelphia had to go well beyond the approximate $1.35MM slot value associated with the 63rd overall pick to sign him away from a commitment to West Virginia. Burkholder is a righty-hitting outfielder out of a Virginia high school. Pre-draft scouting reports at Baseball America (where he ranked #50 in the class) and from Keith Law of the Athletic (who ranked him 71st) credit Burkholder with excellent speed and the potential for plus raw power at his peak. The question is whether he’ll develop an adequate hit tool in pro ball. He’s a developmental flier for the Phils.
Phillies Rumors
Phillies Re-Sign David Dahl To Minor League Deal
The Phillies re-signed outfielder David Dahl to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic (X link). Dahl was designated for assignment by the Phils back on July 9 and rejected an outright assignment in favor of free agency a couple days later.
Dahl, 30, played just four big league games in 2022-23 before resurfacing with the Phils earlier this summer. The former No. 10 overall draft pick and longtime Rockies top prospect signed a minor league deal over the winter and blitzed through Triple-A opposition with a .340/.416/.660 batting line and a dozen homers in 166 trips to the plate prior to his promotion. He homered twice in his first three games back in the big leagues, setting the stage for a potential Cinderella comeback, but Dahl struggled to a .154/.196/.231 slash in 56 plate appearances thereafter.
Back in 2016, Dahl looked to be on the cusp of stardom. He reached the majors in his age-22 season after destroying minor league pitching and hit .315/.359/.500 with seven homers and five steals in his first 237 major league plate appearances. Dahl continued to hit well in subsequent seasons but missed substantial time due to injury as well. From 2016-19, he turned in a .297/.346/.521 batting line in 921 big league plate appearances but did so while enduring lengthy IL stints owing to back, ankle, foot and ribcage injuries. Add that to a lacerated spleen suffered as a prospect (which resulted in surgery to remove the organ entirely), and Dahl’s injury history quickly became lengthy and alarming.
That series of health maladies took its toll on the talented young outfielder. In 390 plate appearances dating back to 2020, Dahl has authored a tepid .200/.237/.318 slash in the majors. This year’s scintillating output in Lehigh Valley and his fast start following his promotion lend some hope that there’s still some of that 2016-19 form buried away. For now, he’ll head back to the IronPigs and try to force his way back into the Phillies’ major league plans.
Phillies Activate J.T. Realmuto From 10-Day Injured List
J.T. Realmuto is back in the Phillies’ lineup, as the catcher has been officially activated from the team’s 10-day injured list. Right-hander Yunior Marte was also called up from Triple-A, and in corresponding moves, catcher Rafael Marchan and right-hander Michael Mercado were optioned to Triple-A.
After undergoing knee surgery on June 12, the expectation was that Realmuto would need roughly a month of recovery time, so he’ll return only slightly beyond that timeline (with the All-Star break also giving him a bit of extra time). The first-place Phillies have just kept on rolling even with Realmuto out, Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh also having lengthy IL stints, and Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber having minimal 10-day IL absences.
With Realmuto now back, Philadelphia is again operating with all of its first-choice position players, making things even scarier for opposing pitchers. Realmuto’s contributions to this powerhouse lineup have been fairly modest, as he has hit .261/.309/.411 over 223 plate appearances.
While still quite good for a catcher and above-average (102 wRC+) overall, Realmuto’s 26.9% strikeout rate is on pace to be the highest of his career, and his 5.4% walk rate would be his lowest since 2016 when he was still with the Marlins. These rates are both well below the league average, though Realmuto is still in the 88th percentile of hard-hit ball rate and he is continuing to barrel the ball, with seven homers thus far this season. The defense has been a mixed bag, with Realmuto throwing out 29% of baserunners but his blocking and framing work have been subpar. Even if Realmuto is slowing down a bit in his age-33 season, he is still an overall plus for the Phillies, and he also doesn’t even have to be a top contributor in such a loaded batting order.
Marchan saw his first MLB action since 2021 in Realmuto’s absence, and looked impressive in hitting .294/.345/.549 over 56 plate appearances. Despite these numbers, Marchan was likely optioned so he can continue to get regular playing time in Triple-A rather than get limited action as Realmuto’s backup, so Garrett Stubbs will continue on the active roster in the backup catcher role.
Phillies Among Teams With Interest In Tommy Pham
The Phillies are among the teams with some interest in White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Philadelphia is known to be on the hunt for some outfield help in the run-up to the July 30 trade deadline, and while they’ve been more heavily rumored to be seeking a true center fielder, the 36-year-old Pham could still give them a solid bat in left field (pushing Brandon Marsh to center with more regularity) or a bat off the bench who could be paired with a true center field addition. The Royals have also been linked to Pham.
While Pham doesn’t offer the defensive excellence of current Philadelphia outfielders Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache, he can handle center field in a pinch. He also brings quite a bit more offense to the table than either player. Pham’s bat has cooled since a hot start to the season, but he’s still sporting a solid .264/.339/.368 slash line on the season (103 wRC+). This is Pham’s tenth full big league season and the eighth in which he’s provided at least average offense.
The Phillies recently released veteran Whit Merrifield, who’d played 25 games in left field for them (in addition to 14 at second base and a dozen at the hot corner). The hope had been that he could be a vital bat for them against lefties, but that didn’t prove to be the case. He hit just .190/.238/.329 in 84 plate appearances against southpaws. Pham, on the other hand, has pummeled lefties, hitting .260/.383/.480 when holding the platoon advantage. He’s posted a solid .265 average and .325 on-base percentage against righties but hasn’t hit for any power in right-on-right situations, slugging just .337.
Pham’s contractual status also likely appeals to a Phillies club that is already in the second tier of luxury tax penalization. He’s playing the season on a $3MM salary, with about $1.21MM of that sum yet to be paid out as of this writing. (He’d be owed a $500K assignment bonus upon being traded and can unlock an additional $1.5MM in salary based on plate appearances.) Because the Phils are paying the tax for a third straight year and in the second tier of penalty ($20MM to $40MM over the $237MM tax threshold), they’ll pay a 62% tax on any dollars added to the payroll.
Adding Pham and the remainder of his modest base salary would result in an additional $750K of tax penalties, bringing his theoretical luxury hit for the club to $1.96MM (the exact number will be impacted by which team pays the assignment bonus and the actual timing of a potential trade, of course). That’s of particular benefit to the Phillies, who would see their top pick in the 2025 draft pushed back 10 places if they reach $277MM in tax considerations. At present, RosterResource projects the Phils at $261.6MM worth of luxury obligations. With the Phillies surely eyeing multiple upgrades ahead of the deadline, assuring that at least one of those pickups comes with a relatively minimal salary commitment could be extra importance.
Latest On Jazz Chisholm’s Market
Jazz Chisholm Jr. stands as one of the top position players available in what could be a relatively light market for bats. Trade chatter regarding Chisholm has picked up over the past week. The Marlins only added fuel by moving him back to second base over the weekend, seemingly an effort to demonstrate his defensive versatility for potential trade partners with two weeks until the deadline.
A middle infielder by trade, Chisholm moved to center field in 2023 in deference to Luis Arraez. Defensive metrics have been mixed on Chisholm’s outfield performance. Defensive Runs Saved has him as a well below-average center fielder, while Statcast has him as a neutral to solid outfielder. Both metrics were fonder of his early work at second base than they’ve been on his center field defense.
Even a couple weeks of reps back at second base could raise teams’ confidence that Chisholm could play there down the stretch. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote last week that the Yankees have considered Chisholm, presumably as an infield fit. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported yesterday that the Royals — a team openly seeking a player who can bounce between the infield and outfield — have shown interest in Chisholm. Nightengale suggests the Mariners, another club that hasn’t made any secret of its desire to upgrade the offense, is also in the mix.
While there should be a broad range of teams interested in a player with Chisholm’s defensive flexibility, Nightengale indicates the Phillies are not showing much interest in their division rival. (The Athletic’s Jim Bowden had loosely linked Chisholm, among various other players, to Philadelphia last week.) The Phils are set in the middle infield with Trea Turner and Bryson Stott. They’re looking for outfield help, although that could take the form of a right-handed platoon bat rather than an everyday player.
Chisholm, a left-handed hitter, wouldn’t address Philadelphia’s desire for more balance in the outfield. He’d be a clear offensive improvement as an everyday center fielder on Johan Rojas. Rojas is a gifted defender, though, and the Phils might not feel that Chisholm’s a marked enough overall upgrade to beat the offers put forth by other teams that are more desperate for hitting.
The 26-year-old Chisholm is having a second straight solid but not incredible season. He goes into the All-Star Break with a roughly average .249/.321/.407 slash line. Chisholm has hit 12 homers and stolen 18 bases (although he’s been thrown out eight times). That’s similar to last year’s .250/.304/.457 showing. An average hitter with the ability to cover multiple up-the-middle positions is certainly a valuable player, yet Chisholm hasn’t developed into the franchise building block he seemed during an All-Star first half in 2022.
Injuries have been a factor. Most notably, a stress fracture in Chisholm’s back cut short that potential breakout year in ’22. Toe and oblique issues limited him to 97 games a year ago. He has avoided the injured list thus far in 2024. The injury history has kept him from accumulating the kind of counting stats that’d result in significant arbitration earnings. Chisholm is playing on a very affordable $2.625MM salary and won’t reach free agency until the 2026-27 offseason.
Poll: Who Will Win The 2024 Home Run Derby?
The 2024 All-Star break festivities are already well underway, with the Futures Game in the books and the second of three draft days currently taking place. Tonight, the Home Run Derby will take center stage at 7pm Central time, with these participants:
- Mets 1B Pete Alonso
- Phillies 3B Alec Bohm
- Rangers OF Adolis García
- Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson
- Dodgers OF Teoscar Hernández
- Braves DH Marcell Ozuna
- Guardians 3B José Ramírez
- Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.
The winner will get $1MM, with $500K for the runner-up and $150K for everyone else in the field. There’s also a $100K bonus for the player who hits the longest home run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won last year but opted not to defend his title, so there will be a new champion, though Alonso has two previous titles from 2019 and 2021 and will be looking for a third.
This year’s format will be different from previous versions, with Cole Jacobson of MLB.com providing a rundown. The primary change is that there will be no head-to-head matchups in the first round, as the four players with the most home runs will advance. If two players tie, the longest home run will be a tiebreaker. Previously, the knockout-style bracket system started right away but this year’s version won’t see that until the field has been narrowed to four. Once the knockout stage begins, ties will be settled by 60 seconds of extra time. If the players are still tied, they will engage in three-swing showdowns until they are no longer tied.
In the first two rounds, players with have three minutes, which drops to two minutes in the final round. The three-minute rounds will now have a 40-pitch maximum while the two-minute round will feature a 27-pitch maximum.
The bonus time is also different. Previous versions featured 30 seconds of automatic extra time, which jumped to 60 seconds if the player hit two or more home runs 440 feet or longer. This year, the bonus time will continue until a player record three “outs,” which is a swing that doesn’t result in a home run. If a player hits a home run 425 feet or longer in the bonus period, he will get a fourth out.
Of the eight players competing this year, Henderson has the most homers this year with 28. He is followed by Ozuna at 26, Ramírez at 23, Alonso and Hernández at 19, García at 17, Witt at 16 and Bohm at 11.
Who do you want to win and who do you think will win? Have you say in the polls below!
Phillies Reportedly Seeking Right-Handed Outfielder
The Phillies are “prioritizing” finding a right-handed hitter to add to their outfield mix, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Gelb adds that Philadelphia is expected to make at least one trade to address its bench mix before the deadline.
The organization cleared a spot on its bench for a righty outfielder yesterday by parting ways with veteran utility player Whit Merrifield. That’s left the club to search for a platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Brandon Marsh in left field, and their internal options are fairly limited—particularly with Johan Rojas patrolling center on a regular basis. Cristian Pache and Weston Wilson are both currently on the club’s roster, but neither inspires much confidence.
Pache, 25, was a roughly league average hitter (99 wRC+) for the Phillies last year in 95 trips to the plate but has struggled in a similar role this year. In 109 trips to the plate this year, Pache has struggled to a .200/.294/.274 with a wRC+ of just 65. Meanwhile, Wilson has just 11 games under his belt at the big league level across the past two seasons. While he’s hit a solid .261/.431/.391 in that limited time, it’s hardly a surprise that the Phillies would be interesting in a more established option than Weston, particularly given his somewhat middling 107 wRC+ at the Triple-A level this year.
Edmundo Sosa, who his hitting an excellent .275/.333/.461 (123 wRC+) on the year and was forced out of the starting lineup by the return of Trea Turner from the injured list, may seem like an obvious solution. The 28 year old has been ice cold at the plate lately, however, with a slash line of just .239/.269/.347 in his last 104 trips to the plate this year. Even setting aside Sosa’s prolonged cold streak, the utility infielder has virtually no experience in the outfield with his four brief cameos on the grass spanning just 5 1/3 innings. That would make him a risky choice for regular time in the outfield, particularly with Nick Castellanos’s less-than-stellar defense in right field on an everyday basis.
That’s left the Phillies to look for external options as they track down a platoon partner for Marsh, who is hitting just .149/.222/.170 against southpaws this year. Fortunately, there are plenty of potential trade candidates who could improve on that production substantially. A look at MLBTR’s Top 50 Trade Candidates for the upcoming deadline reveals a number of right-handed hitting outfield options, and while top option Luis Robert Jr. is likely not in the cards for a club that appears to be looking for a smaller addition pieces like Tommy Pham, Kevin Pillar, or even Miguel Andujar could all capably fill the short-side platoon role the Phillies are looking to add a candidate for.
Pillar in particular appears to be a strong fit for the Phillies are looking for. The veteran has had a resurgent season at the plate with the Angels after struggling during his time with the White Sox earlier this year, and much of that production has come by way of crushing lefties. The 35-year-old has hit an excellent .359/.406/.625 in 69 trips to the plate against southpaws this year, and that strong production is largely backed up by his career .282/.318/.470 line against opposite-handed pitching. While he’s more of a scratch defender (-1 OAA, -3 DRS) at this point in his career than the elite center fielder he was in his younger days, Pillar could still be an excellent platoon bat for a team like the Phillies.
Beyond the aforementioned options, there are some other less likely trade candidates who could make some sense for the Phillies, such as Tigers veteran Mark Canha or A’s slugger Brent Rooker. Rooker has been connected to the Phillies previously but may be an imperfect fit for a club looking for smaller acquisitions, but the 35-year-old Canha could fit that bill nicely after a somewhat down season at the plate this year. That overall downturn in production hasn’t stopped him from being a quality hitter against lefty pitching, however, as Canha has slashed a strong .290/.408/.484 in 76 trips to the plate against southpaws this year. While the slugger is split-neutral for his career his lengthier track record of offensive production could be appealing for the Phillies.
Phillies Release Whit Merrifield
The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve released veteran infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield and recalled fellow infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Merrifield signed a one-year, $8MM contract with the Phillies in free agency this past offseason. That guarantee came in the form of a $7MM salary for the current season and at least a $1MM buyout on an $8MM club option for the 2025 campaign.
Merrifield, who has struggled to a .199/.277/.295 batting line in 174 plate appearances this season, is still owed about $3.01MM of his salary plus that $1MM buyout. He’ll now be able to sign with any team, and a new club would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster or injured list. That amount would be subtracted from what the Phillies owe, but Philadelphia will remain on the hook for the majority of his remaining contract.
While things with the Phillies clearly didn’t pan out, the 35-year-old Merrifield was a decent hitter as recently as last season in Toronto, when he turned in a .272/.318/.382 slash with 11 homers, 28 doubles, a triple, 26 steals, a 6.1% walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate. His offense has tailed off since his peak seasons (age-29 and 30) when he led the American League in hits in consecutive seasons as a member of the Royals, but this level of decline was as unexpected as it was precipitous.
To his credit, Merrifield’s contact skills remain excellent. He’s fanned in only 10.9% of his plate appearances, and this year’s 8.6% walk rate actually ties a career-high mark for the three-time All-Star. He hasn’t hit the ball with any authority, however, turning in a bottom-of-the-barrel 83 mph average exit velocity and 17.4% hard-hit rate. Merrifield entered the 2024 season with a gaudy 24.8% line-drive rate in his career but has hit just 16.8% of his batted balls on a line this season.
The late-blooming Merrifield didn’t even reach the majors until his age-27 season in Kansas City, but he almost instantly became not just a fixture on the Royals’ roster but one of the most prolific hitters and base thieves in the league. From 2016-20, Merrifield batted .295/.342/.445 with 58 homers and 119 stolen bases. In addition to leading the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019, he also paced the American League in stolen bases in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
Between that track record, the now minimal price tag and his defensive versatility — he can play second base, third base and all around the outfield — Merrifield should find a new opportunity before long. Grim as his 2024 production (or lack thereof) has been, there are several teams around the league looking for a veteran righty bat and/or help at second base/left field.
The Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners are among the current postseason contenders who’ve received negligible production from second base this year and could speculate on Merrifield turning things around with a change of scenery. (WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets that Boston did not have interest in Merrifield this offseason, but circumstances change.) And, Merrifield’s former Kansas City club has been on the hunt for a bat that can play both the infield and outfield, as noted last month by general manager J.J. Picollo himself.
David Dahl Elects Free Agency
The Phillies announced that outfielder David Dahl has cleared waivers and elected free agency. He was designated for assignment earlier this week. Players with a previous career outright or three years of service time can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, with Dahl qualifying on both counts.
Dahl, 30, was able to manufacture a feel-good comeback story a few weeks ago but it eventually ran out of steam. The veteran was mostly hurt for the 2020-23 period but looked great after signing a minor league deal with the Phils in the winter. He got into 43 Triple-A games and ripped 12 home runs in that time while also drawing walks at an 11.4% clip. He slashed .340/.416/.660 during his 166 plate appearances as an IronPig.
That got him called up to the majors as the Phillies put Brandon Marsh on the injured list. It seemed for a moment that Dahl was going to be able to keep the good times rolling, hitting two homers in his first three games with the Phils. But he hit a wall after that with a .154/.196/.231 line in his next 56 plate appearances, getting bumped off the roster when Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper returned from IL stints.
Dahl will now look for his next opportunity elsewhere, though the fact that all clubs passed on the opportunity to grab him off waivers suggests he’ll likely have to settle for another minor league deal. Some teams may be intrigued by his blistering start in Triple-A this year, as well as his past record. He hit .297/.346/.521 in 240 games with the Rockies from 2016 to 2019 but, as mentioned, has been hamstrung by injuries since then.
He has suffered a lacerated spleen that led to the organ needing to be removed entirely, as well as a stress fracture in his ribcage, a broken foot, a high ankle sprain, a shoulder strain, multiple back injuries and a quad strain. He has hit .200/.237/.318 in his 390 major league plate appearances since the end of 2019, split between the Rangers, Padres and Phillies.
Dahl passed five years of service this year but won’t be able to get to the six-year mark. If he winds up hitting somewhere and gets back on a roster, he could be retained via arbitration for 2025. With the trade deadline now less than three weeks away, perhaps some upcoming roster shuffling will open a nice opportunity for him somewhere.
Latest On Phillies’ Rotation
The Phillies are making an adjustment to their rotation. Rookie right-hander Tyler Phillips will make his first big league start on Saturday against the A’s, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic. Fellow rookie Michael Mercado is set to work from the bullpen.
Mercado, 25, just stepped into the starting five in late June. He threw five innings of one-run ball against the Cubs in his first MLB start. The Braves teed off on Mercado on Saturday, though, tagging him for five runs on a trio of homers before he could escape the second inning. While one poor start won’t change the organization’s view on Mercado, most prospect evaluators suggest his fastball-curveball arsenal is better suited for relief work.
A former second-round pick of the Rays, Mercado joined the Phils in a minor trade at the beginning of last offseason. He has started 10 of 14 appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Mercado has a stellar 1.71 earned run average at the top minor league level. However, he has walked more than 11% of batters faced while averaging fewer than four innings per appearance.
Phillips has had a more conventional starting role with Lehigh Valley. He has started all 15 Triple-A appearances and averaged slightly more than six innings per game. His 4.89 ERA is a lot more pedestrian than Mercado’s mark, although he has shown somewhat better control (9.4% walk rate). Mercado throws a bit harder than Phillips does and has demonstrated a lot more bat-missing ability in the minor leagues. Phillips, whom the team added to the 40-man roster last week, has a modest 19.8% strikeout rate for the IronPigs. To his credit, Phillips punched out seven hitters across four innings of relief behind Mercado against Atlanta in his big league debut.
The Phillies have built enough of a cushion that they shouldn’t be concerned about some short-term uncertainty in their starting five. They’re eight games clear of the Braves for the division lead and 4.5 games ahead of the Dodgers for the National League’s top seed. An excellent rotation has been a major reason. Philadelphia’s front four of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez is arguably the best in MLB.
The fifth spot is the only question mark. Taijuan Walker allowed a 5.60 ERA over 10 starts before inflammation in his index finger sent him to the injured list a few weeks ago. Spencer Turnbull managed great results as a sixth starter, but he sustained a lat strain that’ll knock him out into August.
Barring injury, the Phils look like the rare contender that doesn’t need to urgently pursue rotation help over the next three weeks. Wheeler’s status is worth monitoring after the Phils lifted him at 76 pitches during tonight’s start. The team announced that the star righty was battling lower back tightness. After the game, skipper Rob Thomson called it a precautionary measure with the Phillies already holding an eight-run lead (X link via Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Thomson suggested the team would evaluate Wheeler tomorrow but indicated the club expects he’ll be fine to make his next start.
