Phillies Sign Whit Merrifield
Phillies sign Whit Merrifield & What This Means for the Phillies
Two days after the Phillies pitchers & catchers reported, Philadelphia signed 2B/OF Whit Merrifield to a one-year, $8 Million deal. This deal includes and option for the 2025 MLB season. The three-tine All-star spent the last two seasons in Queen City with the Toronto Blue Jays.
My Thoughts: I think this is a great addition to the already talented Philly team. Merrifield is getting older as he is now 35 years old and most likely won't mind being an every other day type of player. The Phillies can definitely use him in the outfield as their OF depth is thin with Nick Castellanos (RF) and Brandon Marsh (LF) the only certain starters.
Although Merrifield also plays second base, expect him to spend most of his playing time in the outfield during the upcoming season as Bryson Stott has been incredible in the middle infield for the Phillies and he was a Gold Glove candidate this last season. However, if Merrifield is not needed in the outfield, he could play second base against tough left-handed pitchers as Stott has struggled against them in the past. During his days of the bench, Whit could also be used as a pinch-hitter or a pinch-runner as he has lead the American League in stolen bases 3 times and has a career total of 201 stolen bases.
Nevertheless, adding Whit Merrifield to the Phillies lineup should definitely help them and increase their chances of bringing home a World Series Championship in 2024.