The Phillies announced Friday that they’ve released veteran infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield and recalled fellow infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Merrifield signed a one-year, $8MM contract with the Phillies in free agency this past offseason. That guarantee came in the form of a $7MM salary for the current season and at least a $1MM buyout on an $8MM club option for the 2025 campaign.
Merrifield, who has struggled to a .199/.277/.295 batting line in 174 plate appearances this season, is still owed about $3.01MM of his salary plus that $1MM buyout. He’ll now be able to sign with any team, and a new club would only owe him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the MLB roster or injured list. That amount would be subtracted from what the Phillies owe, but Philadelphia will remain on the hook for the majority of his remaining contract.
While things with the Phillies clearly didn’t pan out, the 35-year-old Merrifield was a decent hitter as recently as last season in Toronto, when he turned in a .272/.318/.382 slash with 11 homers, 28 doubles, a triple, 26 steals, a 6.1% walk rate and a 17.1% strikeout rate. His offense has tailed off since his peak seasons (age-29 and 30) when he led the American League in hits in consecutive seasons as a member of the Royals, but this level of decline was as unexpected as it was precipitous.
To his credit, Merrifield’s contact skills remain excellent. He’s fanned in only 10.9% of his plate appearances, and this year’s 8.6% walk rate actually ties a career-high mark for the three-time All-Star. He hasn’t hit the ball with any authority, however, turning in a bottom-of-the-barrel 83 mph average exit velocity and 17.4% hard-hit rate. Merrifield entered the 2024 season with a gaudy 24.8% line-drive rate in his career but has hit just 16.8% of his batted balls on a line this season.
The late-blooming Merrifield didn’t even reach the majors until his age-27 season in Kansas City, but he almost instantly became not just a fixture on the Royals’ roster but one of the most prolific hitters and base thieves in the league. From 2016-20, Merrifield batted .295/.342/.445 with 58 homers and 119 stolen bases. In addition to leading the majors in hits in 2018 and 2019, he also paced the American League in stolen bases in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
Between that track record, the now minimal price tag and his defensive versatility — he can play second base, third base and all around the outfield — Merrifield should find a new opportunity before long. Grim as his 2024 production (or lack thereof) has been, there are several teams around the league looking for a veteran righty bat and/or help at second base/left field.
The Yankees, Red Sox and Mariners are among the current postseason contenders who’ve received negligible production from second base this year and could speculate on Merrifield turning things around with a change of scenery. (WEEI’s Rob Bradford tweets that Boston did not have interest in Merrifield this offseason, but circumstances change.) And, Merrifield’s former Kansas City club has been on the hunt for a bat that can play both the infield and outfield, as noted last month by general manager J.J. Picollo himself.
About time.
Yes, too bad a really nice career has to end this way. My hunch is someone will pick him up. We’ll see what happens.
Now he’s a cheap pickup for some team needing a former All Star who is on the downside of his career.
Oakland A’s?
@Chaim Breslow’s undergarments
Come on you’re better than that? Why would the A’s want him?
I don’t see the Red Sox taking a flyer. I’d rather Yorke be given a shot assuming he’s not traded himself.
Hello Mariners!
Actually, I’m not better than that when you massacre my name. Muting.
The Utility All-Star last year to being released this year.
A candidate ripe for a change of scenery.
Seems like he could be a Yankee, for they should be bringing him in and moving Gleyber Torres and or DJLM.
Not expecting much from Jorbit Vivas.
If nothing else, Merrifield is 11 for 12 in steals this year. DJ is a slug on the bases.
Due to injuries to others, he had a lot of opportunities in Philly and couldn’t get going.
Von, appreciate the relatively positive sign off of a player who was great with the Royals and who deserves a good send off. His career was so much better than the lame comments he’s getting.
A lot of jealousy from people who only dream of making the big leagues.
Amen
He will be heading into the Whitness Protection Program…
Not a Merrifield time in the old town tonight.
Some people don’t give a Whit.
I guess the Phillies were at there Whit’s end.
Whit or Whitout Whit the Phillies will march Merrily to the WS
What took so long ?
8 million dollars took so long. Dumbrowski hopefully realized his need for a power hitting right handed bat in his outfield. Maybe throw a closer in there to.
Here’s your chance Friedman to start another .200 hitter on your roster.
.199 to be exact. Helped by a triple the Dodgers CF lost for some reason the other night.
I’m actually surprised by this even though it’s overdue. Thanks for hustling and turning a popup intro a triple.
I suspect this has more to do with off field stuff than on field. He hasn’t had the best things said about him by former teammates in Toronto, and the Phils’ chemistry is too solid to let a guy like that disrupt the locker room. Pure speculation on my part though.
I totally disagree with your take. From everything I’ve seen when they show the dugout, he is well liked
Whit is like Trevor Bauer in that he spills too many details about what’s going on behind the scenes, and he admitted in several different interviews to not playing as hard as he could because KC wasn’t going anywhere, and doubled and tripled down on it when fans lost it. Idk between that stuff and admitting that if your team was in the playoff chase you’d get vax’d but since they aren’t then nope doesn’t sound like a good teammate to me, but I’m sure there were players who liked Barry Bonds as a teammate too, not all players are going to have the same sentiment about a guy. Me personally, from what I’ve read, listened to, and heard from the few KC fans I know, he was not universally liked in KC by any stretch.
Royals fan since the beginning here. Whit was very popular with the fans and front office until the vax-thing. The vaxxers and media turned on him instantly when all he did was tell the truth. He was opposed to the vaccine (his right) and couldn’t make the trip into Canada. He said he would have gotten it and gone if the Royals were in the race (they’d long before been out of it). The only Royals player to refuse and keep his spot on the team was Brady Singer and the local media hasn’t let him forget it…even though Canada lifted the restriction 30 days later when the Blue Jays made the playoffs.
There goes the shot narrative again.All was a hoax
Nah. He was beloved by the Phillies players and announcers. He just couldn’t get going. All soft contact.
Surprised! Are you blind?
Should go back to KC. They’ve been looking for an INF/OF. Maybe going back will to the Royals will reinvigorate him…
His exit from that team left a lot of fans angry. Hard to believe they would bring him back, especially since they already have plenty of players who can’t hit.
It’s a business not a high school dance. If the Royals don’t bring him back it will be because they don’t think he’s got anything left in the tank.
He’s got more than several of their starters.
Sure, in theory, but bad blood often factors in. But yes, main arg against him is he’s not any good.
Or maybe they’d still be looking for an INF/OF.
What a fall from grace.
Grace? She died thirty years ago.
THE BLESSING!
Did I break wind?
Plus, any claiming team would be responsible for the $1m on next year’s buyout. Merrifield won’t see another PA this season.
He’s released, any team he signs with is essentially a new deal at league minimum. Phillies pay everything else
This is correct. A new team would not be on the hook for that buyout. The Phillies are.
Ok – thank you both for confirming
They didn’t “confirm” what you wrote; they disputed and corrected it. Quite a difference.
He will absolutely be picked up, and be playing soon.
Why the F is Pache still on the roster, not here to defend him but at least he offers versatility. Pache is totally useless. A pinch runner?
Not defending whit
Pache is a good fielder who provides exactly what they need, good fielding, for his limited role. Certainly better than Whit who provided a big zero.
That’s exactly what they need? So that explains why they are looking for an of bat then right?
Pache is as useless as whif He makes Rojas look like ken griffey
Pache is a very good defender.
So are Rojas and marsh, where does he fit? Can’t play him and Rojas together with their bats
1 of the 2 likely gets added to a trade package.
Pache isn’t a 35 year old with no arm and a negative exit velocity.
True, that .178 career avg with no power is useful though.
Why does career AVG matter here? If the Phillie suddenly were playing in 2021 I’d get it. But Pache is the better player NOW.
Sorry I omitted his .196 avg THIS year, clearly trending up
You must watch 2 philles game a year..
Lame comment, I watch or go to 80pct easily. Pache adds zero to this roster. Has had multiple opportunities and has shown zero at all stops including Philly. The easiest upgrade on the roster is the spot he is taking up right now.
You made this post 14 hours ago. Pache was literally the only reason the Phillies scored runs yesterday.
Unless yesterday was one of the 20% of games you missed.
Honestly, I don’t see much difference between Pache and Rojas.
Pache was one of the prospects in the Matt Olson deal and then was traded by the a’s
Yes, first traded in a package for Olson then flipped for “Billy Sullivan”. More or less same as released by one of worst teams in baseball
Merrifield has no glove or bat, Pache just no bat, and as several have mentioned he’s younger – fine for a 5th OF, which brings me to my next point – this frees up the spot on the roster that WHIT was supposed to fulfill – weakside platoon for Marsh – might not be Rooker like is being speculated, but this looks very much like Dombrowski about to get a RH outfielder….
Pache is gonna be next because they are gonna be getting a bat
Better get a bat phil.
Exactly
Can do waaay better if this is the best we can say about him – “fine for a 5th outfielder”. He’s fine for a fifth outfielder on a non title team. Not this squad. Expect better.
Hey Philly, can’t you just get a bat? I felt left out in the get a bat conversation and had to add. I’ve got a fever and the remedy is……Philly gets a big righty bat!
Pache has a .635 ops against lefties this year and .700 on his career paired with terrific defense and top prospect pedigree, which is what you want in a cheap platoon player.
He almost signed with Texas in offseason and has a good relationship with Chris young I would not be surprised Texas picks him up.
We had Whit in Toronto for a season and a half. He was a great team mate and all he did was Hustle…..!!
Good Luck Whit , you are a class act .!!
Philly fans, how much interest do you have in Jazz? Could fill Whits role and or cover CF on a regular basis
Not much. Jazz isn’t a good outfielder, and his bat doesn’t have as much upside as some of the other targets. He’s also hurt a lot.
All of that is correct, and he is “poison”, on top of that!! Fortunately, D D is way too smart to even consider trading for Chisom.
More importantly purple doesn’t think he fits.
I think he’d do okay, I just like some of the other targets more.
Plus, he’s a lefty hitter – a righty would make more sense in this lineup
CF is the clear weak spot in the Philly lineup. Robert or Belli are the top tier of trade targets there this year. If the cost is too much for them Jazz is the next best choice imo. Or is the idea to slide Marsh into CF and add a corner OF?
I think the priority is a right handed OF bat. CF can be covered by others if needed. But a righty bat is what they need.
Could be totally off base here….. but Jazz seems more of a me player than a team player….. Clubhouse fit has to be there. You watch…. Stubbs should be sent down when Realmuto comes back as Marchan is far better at everything. But Stubbs is a big clubhouse favorite.
Agree on all that
You aren’t “off base”, at all!!
Someone will trade for him, but he’s a wildcard at best. Average IF, below average OF. Inconsistent hitter with excellent speed when he isn’t on the IL. Reminds me of Profar from a few years ago – the potential is tantalizing, but the reality is a crap shoot.
‘Far better at everything’?? I guess you haven’t been watching much….
DD doesn’t like players who spend as much time on the IL as Jazz, or Robert for that matter.
Room for Rooker?
I’d take Rooker if the price is right….. but he is going to cost a fortune…
Why a fortune?
Rooker has 2-3 years more of team control…that is worth quite a bit these days and will certainly make the return back to Oakland far greater. I’d hate to part with Miller…but I have no doubt he would need to be part of the deal. I love Bohm….but I am not willing yet to give up on Miller….but I could be persuaded.
They can trade other prospects not named Miller & Painter. My guess they can trade Caba & others. They need that fiery bulldog mentality type of player there.
Not a chance
The Royals really messed up by not trading him a year or 2 sooner than they did.
They couldn’t they lacked veterans badly .
And he was on a super cheap contract they weren’t motivated to unload. I still can’t believe how little he got from his prime years, but to be fair he was a late bloomer.
Nice to see Philly spank LA. Maybe a reality check for Friedman?
I wouldn’t be shocked if he joins Atlanta, at least in a minors deal he grew up a braves fan and frankly I’d rather have him than Eddie Rosario or Brian Anderson lol
Pick him up White Sox. Let’s Go! Become the Whit Sox!
His old DP mate is playing SS plus a former Royal is the GM.
DP? Hope you mean Dr Pepper. Otherwise ewww
Time for an aluminum bat?
$20 says Dipoto finally gets his guy in Seattle
You’d think this was a no-brainer for the M’s. Merrifield has a great OPS against the M’s and I have to assume he’ll hit at T-Mobile as well as anywhere else. But he’s never seemed interested in going to Seattle for some reason. But it’d be a real upgrade over the current version of Polanco.
Would not shock me if the Braves go get him
I’m surprised they released him and also surprised that it didn’t come as a dfa first
Bad luck didn’t factor much into the .199 batting average. His hard percentage is probably low. Very rarely did he hit the ball hard.
Sox – anything to avoid watching another Jamie Westbrook at-bat
The pathetic Mariners will sign him and he’ll immediately become their cleanup hitter as they wilt and the cheating Astros once again win the AL Worst by default.
Career started a bit too late to fully cash in, but still has done well. He’ll get another shot elsewhere.
A trade is definitely coming. LFG!!!!
I hope they go for Rooker or Lane Thomas , Robert would be good but I feel like his mentality wouldn’t fit the clubhouse. They need a fiery bulldog mentality that can rock in philly
Weakest link
That would be Pache
…cue the music:
IT’S WESTON WILLLLLLSON TIME!!!!!!
.
…well at lest for tonight.
Sucks that Whit didn’t work out, but he’ll still get his cash
Padres should take a flier. Bryce Johnson ain’t gonna cut it, and heard on Padres radio station that no one has any idea when Nando’s stress reaction will heal
exactly. I like Wes, but he’s not the answer either, he’s just a place holder until the trade comes through.
Seemed like a good fit on paper, never adjusted to a part time role. We need somebody on this roster that can hit LHP and Weston Wilson has been mashing at Lehigh.
I was pretty excited about this signing until the regular season started. Great guy though, wish him well.
Doesn’t make much sense to eat the money. I would have just kept him for the 26th guy and ability to play multiple positions.
It wasn’t that Merrifield was a late bloomer, he was just in the wrong organization. KC kept trading for or signing guys like Nori Aoki, Alex Rios, Omar Infante, etc…instead of calling him up.
Dayton Moore loved his “veteran presence” regardless of performance.
So, at the deadline Dave will have to make a decision. Go for pitching or a centerfield. I’m not sure Clemens is the guy.
Semantics question: The headline says release. How does this differ from DFA?
A move is coming. Kind of surprised that they went with Wilson rather than Clemens but…guys only have so many options until having to make tough decisions like lose them. I could see them getting a guy or 2 from the rays and one being Rosario who is a good utility man, younger than Whit and equally versatile. They also need one or two more bullpen arms. They are one of the strongest now in the pen but if they can upgrade from Soto, Dominguez and Ruiz, now is the time.
Angels may need him if they trade Ward and Pillar, a definite possibility. They have no OF talent in the minors to call up. The Pillar reclamation went well, so I would think it could happen for Merrifield with some ABs. He was once a player the Halos coveted and he could get a shot as a fill-in for the remainder of the Halos’ lost season.
The Cardinals will not be taking him. They already have his two body doubles, Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford.
Yankees will sign him,,,,, just wait.
Small market teams waste $5M on players like this. Mid market teams waste $8M on players like this. Large market teams waste $12M on players like this.
Why do any of them bother when even the most mediocre AAAA type prospects could easily produce like this and play passible utility infield defense for 740K, or whatever league minimum is?
Seeing this really make me appreciate Joe Morgan’s career. Even after spending 17 years between HOU and CIN, he still extended his career another 5 years between several teams. His performance was pretty impressive given his age and mileage. I’d like to see Merrifield play at least through next year, but he’s gotta earn it.
Back to the Royals.
News now is that Philadelphia is looking for a RH outfielder.
Cincinnati should have traded Slater for him haha.
A former KC hitter who cannot hit any longer? White Sox GM is excited and will likely have him in for a look, if not just sign him.
Don’t tease Getz with a former Royal being available!
Too bad he had to be a moron and ruin his reputation in KC. It’s like he never even existed after being the team leader for several years.
“Grim as his 2024 production (or lack thereof) has been“ IS NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t leave “as” out to start the sentence, Adams. It’s not optional. As a professional writer, you don’t get to pick and choose where correct grammar is necessary. It’s ALWAYS necessary.
You are going to be okay.
I never understood why he was an all-star last year. Still at 35 its a bad time to have a down year. Needs 2.5 more seasons.
Cashman will sign Merrifield for a guaranteed 10-year $400M contract, let Soto walk and declare that Merrifield is the missing piece to another championship. After signing, Merrifield will injure himself with the pen and be out for the next 10 years. So typical of Cashman.