The Philadelphia Phillies and free agent utility man Whit Merrifield have agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal, reports Ken Rosenthal.
Merrifield, 35, was an All-Star last season – his third trip to the Midsummer Classic – for the Blue Jays. He hit .272/.318/.382 (94 OPS+) with 27 doubles, 11 homers, 67 RBI, 66 runs, 26 stolen bases and 0.7 WAR in 145 games. He can still hit for average, albeit not nearly as well as his prime, and run some, but he doesn’t provide much defensive value these days and he’s likely ticketed for a utility backup role.
The Phillies are set with Bryson Stott at second base and Nick Castellanos in right field, so if there are any at-bats to be had, it would likely be left field. With Johan Rojas the everyday center fielder, Brandon Marsh can hold down the left side of a platoon in left field while right-handed hitting options would be Merrifield and Cristian Pache.
This will be Merrifield’s first foray into the National League, as he previously spent seven seasons with the Royals and parts of two with the Blue Jays.
The Phillies are coming off back-to-back trips to the NLCS, which includes the 2022 NL pennant, though the franchise hasn’t won the World Series since 2009. Merrifield will look to be part of the solution as this Phillies ballclub attempts to break through and win the World Series.
