Phillies Sign Three-Time All-Star with versatility for infield and outfield

The Philadelphia Phillies are adding a former All-Star to their roster ahead of the upcoming season.

The Phillies agreed to a one-year contract with utility player Whit Merrifield on Friday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The contract is worth $8 million and includes a club option in 2025.

Merrifield has consistently contributed throughout his career, primarily with the Kansas City Royals. The 35-year-old has been chosen to three All-Star teams, the most recent coming last season with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2023, he hit.272 with 11 home runs and 26 stolen bases for Toronto, playing both left field and second base.

The Phillies have had a relatively quiet offseason after making one major deal to begin the winter, but this is a welcome addition this late in the process. Expect him to play frequently as an insurance policy at almost every position.

Five World Series contenders facing the biggest pressure in 2024.

Spring training, held prior to the start of each MLB season, serves as a reminder that everyone starts fresh. However, several franchises in 2024 have far larger expectations than others.

According to BetMGM, the Phillies, Blue Jays, Yankees, Braves, and Dodgers are among the top ten favorites to win the World Series. Here’s an inverse ranking of which team is under the most pressure this season.

5.  Philadelphia Phillies

For the second straight season, the Phillies upset their division opponent, the Atlanta Braves, in the NLDS as underdogs. In 2022, the victory set up a World Series matchup with the Houston Astros, whom the Phillies lead 2-1 before losing three straight games, including Games 4 and 5 at home.

Philadelphia lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS as favorites, despite having the loud Citizens Bank crowd behind them in Games 6 and 7.

The Phillies have nearly the same lineup and rotation as last year. If they fail to capitalize on their purported superior home-field advantage, roster changes are expected.

4. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are no longer considered an up-and-coming team, as they were when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette made their debuts in 2019. Since then, the Toronto Blue Jays have been swept three times in the AL Wild Card stage. Canada’s team scored 13 runs in those six losses.

Guerrero Jr. and Bichette are still under the age of 27, yet in the postseason, they are a combined 9 for 44 with one RBI and an extra-base hit each. The lineup is solid, and the rotation remains the same as last year. Anything short of the ALDS in 2024 will be disappointing.

3. New York Yankees

The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2023, despite having the league’s second-highest salary. They have the largest payroll in the majors heading into the 2024 season, just north of $290 million, according to Spotrac.

Adding on-base machine. Juan Soto’s trade with the San Diego Padres adds to the strain as New York prepares to compete in what many consider to be baseball’s most tough division. Soto’s future with the Yankees after this season is uncertain, as he is only signed for one year. If this is his final season in pinstripes, the pressure to win in 2024 is considerably greater for New York.

2. Atlanta Braves

When the Braves won the championship as underdogs in 2021, it heightened hopes for the next two seasons and convinced some that a dynasty was conceivable. Since that spectacular run, Atlanta has won the NL East twice but fell as NLDS favorites to the Phillies.
Much of Atlanta’s young talent is locked up for the foreseeable future, but in order to be deemed a dynasty in the making, the Braves must at least go past the NLDS this season. Pre-October success means little when a team has been eliminated in 11 of its 14 NLDS appearances since 2000.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series in front of a small crowd on a neutral field in Texas during the 60-game epidemic season. However, for a franchise that has been eliminated from the playoffs eight times since 2009 despite having a higher regular-season record than its opponent, winning the World Series in 2024 is a must.
The acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, and Tyler Glasnow undoubtedly enhance expectations. We have yet to hear any guarantees from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, possibly because his failed prediction on “The Dan Patrick Show” in 2022 taught him a valuable lesson.