Report: Phillies agree to 1-year, $8M deal with Merrifield

The Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their depth Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $8-million contract with utility player Whit Merrifield, a source told Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Merrifield's deal also includes an $8-million club option for 2025, as well as performance and awards bonuses, a source told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He'll earn a base salary of $7 million this year and would receive a $1-million buyout if the Phillies decline the option, per Morosi.

The 35-year-old Merrifield earned his third career All-Star berth in 2023 after hitting .272/.318/.382 with 11 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases in 145 games for the Toronto Blue Jays. Defensively, he split his time almost evenly between second base and left field while also getting into six games in right field. He became a free agent after both he and the Blue Jays declined to exercise an $18-million mutual option in November.

Merrifield has been a steady and dependable player over his eight big-league seasons. During his first six seasons with the Kansas City Royals, he led the majors in hits twice and won three AL stolen-base titles. He didn't miss a game for over four years, playing 553 consecutive games in a streak that ended in 2022.

With the Phillies, Merrifield will slot in as a depth piece whose versatility - he's started games at six different positions - will allow him to shift around the diamond as needed. Because Johan Rojas is expected to be the team's starting center fielder, Merrifield's likely to be Brandon Marsh's primary fill-in in left field to start the year, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Over eight big-league seasons with the Royals and Blue Jays, Merrifield is a .284/.330/.420 hitter with 1,184 hits, 90 homers, 470 RBIs, and 201 stolen bases.