Whit Merrifield of the Phillies talks about his time with the Blue Jays and free agency.
Following an American League All-Star season, Whit Merrifield anticipated that the Toronto Blue Jays would be keen to sign him as a free agent.
But the talks between the two teams never progressed to the point where a Merrifield return to Toronto became a possibility following the Blue Jays’ early post-season exit to conclude their 2023 campaign.
“I was considering returning to the Jays. I had a great time while I was in Toronto. That clubhouse is my favorite. Merrifield declared, “I love the guys,” during his Wednesday morning appearance on the JD Bunkis Podcast. “I believe that team is strong. They’re obviously not playing well at the moment.
“(Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins) expressed that they were going to be a big player in my free agency, and (we) just didn’t quite have those conversations I expected to have and it never really worked out.”
Naturally, Merrifield went on to negotiate a $8 million one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, which included a 2025 team option.
The Phillies are leading the NL East with an MLB-high 26 victories following their 10-1 thrashing of the Blue Jays on Tuesday.
Merrifield signed with a Philadelphia team that had advanced to the World Series and NLCS in consecutive years, largely due to the opportunity to win.
Regarding picking winning this off-season, he remarked, “Honestly, it was probably 1B.” “I desired to remain comparatively near my residence. Being on this side of the nation was essential to me since I’m an East Coast guy, and being on a good team was right up there.”
The 35-year-old Merrifield has played in 18 games at three different spots for Philadelphia, including left field, third base, and second base, even though he hasn’t quite had the same early success at the plate as he did in Toronto a year ago.
After registering a.272/.318/.382 line with 11 home runs and 26 stolen bases with the Blue Jays in 2023, he is slashing.246/.295/.386 with two home runs and four stolen bases with the Phillies.
After receiving his third career All-Star selection, Merrifield had a strong start for Toronto and only had a.538 OPS after August 1. However, he faltered in the latter part of the season. He was not in the starting lineup for the Blue Jays’ two wild-card games against the Minnesota Twins due to his decline in play.
The nine-year MLB veteran was among the most vocal after the series against the decision to bench José Berríos in Game 2, stating he “hated” the action. Later, he made an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, where he voiced his displeasure at not being included in the post-season lineup.
When asked if being vocal hindered his chances of returning in free agency, Merrifield responded, “I don’t think it hurt in any of that,” on Wednesday. “After that, I had several excellent chats with Atkins. Look, it was a very emotional moment. I was asked immediately following the game what I thought of the playoff match that we just lost.”
“I disagreed with the way we handled that, and who doesn’t have disagreements with their boss at the workplace, that just happens.”
Merrifield said he loved his time as a Blue Jay and didn’t want his remarks to give fans the impression that he didn’t, even though there was a chance that the way the season ended and the talks didn’t go as planned would leave him with a bad taste.
“The only problem that I had with the discussions with the media and how it got out, was that people seemed to think that I didn’t like my time in Toronto, which is not true,” Merrifield stated. “I adored my time in Toronto… It was a fantastic experience, and I’m glad I got to spend a year and a half there.
“I made some amazing friends and had some great moments. I got to see the playoffs twice, which was something I hadn’t done in my career. So, nothing but love for Toronto.”
