Utility man Whit Merrifield signs a one-year contract with the Phillies

The Phillies signed utility player Whit Merrifield to a one-year deal worth $8 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. The deal includes a club option for a second year that comes with a $1 million buyout. His salary in the first year will be $7 million. According to ESPN, Merrifield can make a maximum of $16.6 million, including bonuses, over the two years.

Merrifield, 35, will give the Phillies insurance in the outfield, where Johan Rojas remains largely unproven as a major league hitter and Brandon Marsh is working his way back from arthroscopic knee surgery. Merrifield, a three-time All-Star, has spent the bulk of his career at second base, but has experience in all three outfield spots. He has the most experience in left field, where he played 594 innings for Toronto last season.

The right-handed hitter will bring speed (26 stolen bases in 2023) and an offensive approach that is low on strikeouts. According to Baseball Savant, Merrifield’s 17.1% strikeout rate ranks in the 81st percentile of all MLB hitters, and his 19.5% whiff rate ranks in the 82nd percentile in that category.

He doesn’t hit the ball hard, but hits for average. Merrifield posted a .272/.318/.382 slash line with the Blue Jays in 2023. He’s a .284/.330/.420 hitter over his eight-year career with Toronto and Kansas City. Merrifield is used to a lot of playing time, which makes this deal interesting.

He hit 11 home runs in 145 games last season – split primarily between left field and second base – and will almost certainly be coming off the bench for the Phillies, barring injury or underperformance. But at 35, he might be good with a role change.

Merrifield, backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, and utility infielder Edmundo Sosa figure to make up three-fourths of the bench. Barring injuries, lefty-hitting Jake Cave and righty Cristian Pache will likely compete for the last roster spot. Neither can be sent to the minors.

With the Merrifield signing and Alec Bohm set to make $4 million after winning his arbitration hearing, Cot’s Baseball Contracts puts the Phillies at a $260.8 million luxury tax payroll. They are now over the second tax threshold of $257 million.

Cot’s Baseball Contracts projects that the Phillies will pay nearly $12.4 million in tax, up from about $8 million before the Merrifield signing. There will be no draft penalty until they reach $277 million in tax payroll. But the Phillies will pay their highest tax rates in 2024 – a 62% tax, up from 50% – because they have now spent above the CBT threshold for three years in a row.