Blue Jays lose All-Star infielder to Phillies via free agency

The Toronto Blue Jays and Whit Merrifield have officially parted ways, as the second baseman has signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Merrifield, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals, was acquired by the Blue Jays in a trade during the 2022 season, which saw Max Castillo and Samad Taylor head the other way.

Merrifield’s tenure with the Blue Jays began slowly as he struggled to get regular playing time. That changed in 2023, however, as his bat came back to life, and he was named an All-Star for the third time in his career. Though he slowed down after the All-Star Game, he still finished the 2023 season with a respectable .272 batting average and 67 RBIs over 145 games.

The Blue Jays never seemed to have a ton of interest in bringing back Merrifield, as they were aiming to improve other parts of their roster this offseason. That said, they will miss the 35-year-olds ability to get on base, something he has done exceptionally well through his MLB career.

Merrifield will now look to help a good Phillies team contend for a World Series this season. They were a strong team in 2023, finishing the year with a 90-72 record. They were then able to advance to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) where they fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7.

As for the Blue Jays, it remains to be seen as to what type of success they have this season. General manager Ross Atkins had some swing and misses when it came to landing coveted players, as he fell short in his pursuit of both Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani. Despite the disappointing offseason, the Blue Jays roster remains talented, and they should be able to get bounce-back seasons from players such as Alek Manoah and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

You might also like:
• Prosecutors drop domestic violence charges against Bruins forward Milan Lucic