Last winter, ahead of the 2024 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies didn't make much noise on the free agent market; this past offseason was busy, by comparison. Last year, the Phillies quickly re-signed Aaron Nola after he tested free agency for a couple of weeks.
After that, however, they sat on their hands until they signed free agent veteran Whit Merrifield. The one-year, $8 million contract with a club option was agreed to on Feb.16 and became official on Feb. 19.
Merrifield's addition as spring training was getting ramped up was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle for an already veteran-laden team looking to get back to the World Series. Brought in as a utility bench player, the former three-time All-Star was willing to take a backup role after a career of playing every day in return for a chance to win it all.
“I’ve been a 3 time All-Star. I’ve led the league in hits.. I’ve done that”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 19, 2024
“I want to win now”
-New Phillie Whit Merrifield says he chose the Phillies over another team that offered him to be an every day second baseman because he wants to win pic.twitter.com/013sy5ExWB
Phillies' Whit Merrifield signing last spring was a shocking bust
Merrifield fizzled out, the signing turned into a lemon and he was released well before the Phillies flamed out early in the postseason. When the Phillies sent the then 35-year-old packing on July 12, he was hitting .199/.277/.295 in 174 plate appearances over 53 games. He hit three home runs, drove in 11 RBI and stole 11 bases while in Philadelphia.
It was a shockingly poor performance. Merrifield entered 2024 as a career .284 hitter with a .750 OPS and was coming off an All-Star season with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023.
He, of course, signed with the injury-riddled division rival Atlanta Braves a week after leaving Philadelphia. In 42 games with Atlanta, Merrifield slashed .248/.348/.336. When the teams met on Aug. 20 for Merrifield's first game against the Phillies, he had what was a season-best performance against his former club, going 2-for-3 with a triple, double, walk and a run scored in a 3-1 Braves win.
One of the most weirdly interesting things about Merrifield's stint with the Phillies is how well the team played with the former Kansas City Royal on the roster, and how things fell apart after he left. With Merrifield, the Phillies went 61-32. They went into a 4-12 tailspin after his departure and went 34-35 the rest of the way.
Was it a coincidence? We will never know. He certainly didn't contribute much on the scoresheet and was a black hole in the lineup. Despite this, he was a popular clubhouse presence and a great teammate by all accounts.
At this time, Merrifield still has yet to sign with a team for the 2025 season. He might be mulling retirement, as MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported back in January.