Phillies Sign Free Agent To Play Infield And Outfield
This is HUGE news for Philadelphia. The Phillies sign a free agent who will fill both holes in the infield and the outfield. This is amazing news for a team that has been quiet in the offseason, at least the last couple of months.
Phillies Sign Free Agent
The Philadelphia Phillies have signed Whit Merrifield, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. This is a huge addition to the ball club, right? The news comes right after pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Florida for Spring Training.
Phillies sign free agent Whit Merrifield to their roster for the 2024 season, possibly longer. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Whit Merrifield Contract With Phillies
The details of the deal are outlined by Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal.
“One-year, $8M contract… The deal includes a club option for 2025.”
Free-agent infielder Whit Merrifield in agreement with Phillies on one-year, $8M contract, source tells @TheAthletic. Deal includes club option for 2025. First: @FoulTerritoryTV.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 16, 2024
Whit Merrifield Career Stats
He is known as a utility man in Major League Baseball, meaning he can fill quite a few positions in the field defensively. He has a .284 career batting average, he’s a three-time All-Star including last season with the Toronto Blue Jays. He finished in the top 20 for Most Valuable Player voting in 2018 with a batting average of .304, slashing 192 hits and stealing 45 bases.
This move adds a lot of much-needed help to the depth of a team that has made the playoffs back-to-back years, winning the National League pennant back in 2022. They were unable to beat the Houston Astros that season and lost the World Series in six games.
He became a free agent after not being able to reach a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays in the offseason. ESPN reports that “the Royals restructured the deal to guarantee the option year and add an $18 million mutual option for the 2024 season — which Merrifield and the Blue Jays both rejected, leading to his free agency.”
This is a huge addition to the Phillies. He will be able to play in the outfield and infield, in his career he has played first base, second base, and all three positions in the outfield.
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