Whit Merrifield waited until mid-February to find a new home this offseason, eventually signing a one-year, $8M deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
On Wednesday, the second baseman/outfielder told the “Foul Territory” podcast that he received a call from Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, who said he wanted Merrifield to join the squad. Soon afterward, Merrifield made his decision.
“I had some teams checking in but nothing really going, nothing really gaining any traction. Actually, [it was] funny. I had just called [Texas Rangers Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations] Dayton Moore to really just ask him like, because I knew Texas was probably gonna be like the last team that was in on me,” Merrifield said. “He actually didn’t answer and I left him a message and then as soon as I hung up with him, Bryce Harper called me and said, ‘We need you over here.’ Then, within a week and a half, it was done.”
"Am I crazy to think that I can play?"@WhitMerrifield describes his long wait in free agency, and ultimately getting a call from @bryceharper3 that landed him with the @Phillies
▶️ https://t.co/h3dqpQOv6y pic.twitter.com/T1YsHIsylE
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 13, 2024
The 35-year-old adds numerous desirable tools to an already-stacked Philadelphia lineup, primarily his durability, speed and versatility.
Since his first full big-league season in 2017, Merrifield hasn’t missed more than 23 games in a campaign. He suited up in all 384 regular season contests with the Kansas City Royals over three years from 2019-21, making his first two All-Star teams in the first and last seasons.
Merrifield led MLB in hits in 2018 and 2019 and has paced the American League in stolen bases three times.
His worst season came in 2022 when he slashed a career-low .250/.298/.375 over 504 at-bats with just 16 steals and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays that August. Merrifield bounced back in 2023 north of the border, posting 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 26 steals and a .272/.318/.382 slash line while earning his third All-Star honor.
The University of South Carolina product has primarily played second base over his eight seasons (718 games) but has also patrolled the outfield in 365 contests. Merrifield has played all three outfield spots at least 88 times and has made 15 appearances at first base and six at third base.
