'I want to win now': Whit chose Phils for shot at World Series

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Whit Merrifield said he could have played every day in 2024.

He said he had offers to play second base, but as Spring Training approached, he made playing-time concessions for two teams, including the Phillies. Merrifield said he liked Philly because he wanted to be close to his North Carolina home, with his first child due in a few weeks, and because he wanted to play on a World Series contender in a fun environment.

"It just looks crazy," Merrifield said Monday afternoon following the Phillies’ first full-squad workout at BayCare Ballpark. "[Arizona first baseman] Christian Walker is a good friend of mine. I saw him a couple weeks ago before Philly was ever on the radar. The first thing I asked him was, 'What was it like playing at the Bank?' Of course, he says, 'What you imagined, times five.'"

Merrifield, 35, signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Phillies, which includes a club option for 2025. He is a three-time All-Star who twice led the Majors in hits and who three times led the American League in stolen bases. But he joins the Phils as a super utility player.

He will play left field, second base and anywhere else he is needed. He will give the Phillies protection in the outfield if center fielder Johan Rojas stumbles. Merrifield will give manager Rob Thomson lineup flexibility if he wants to give second baseman Bryson Stott or left fielder Brandon Marsh a break against a tough left-handed pitcher.

“It’ll be a little different,” Merrifield said. “But at the same time, I’ve spent my whole career as a ninth rounder, a non-prospect, spending years in the Minor Leagues, finally getting a chance to play in the big leagues. I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to do things to prove myself and to prove that I can play at this level. And at this point … I feel like I’ve proven that I’m here and I can play. I want to win now. And so I’m here to do whatever I need to do to win.”

The Phillies had been quiet since November, when they re-signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract. They signed left-hander Kolby Allard to a $1 million deal in January. They signed Spencer Turnbull to a $2 million deal last week. Both Allard and Turnbull could open the season in Triple-A.

But almost everybody expected the Phillies to sign somebody else before Opening Day. There was speculation that they could be a “sleeper” for Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger or Jordan Montgomery. The Phils wanted a right-handed-hitting outfielder on a one-year deal, but for weeks they said nobody wanted to sign with them because they could not offer guaranteed playing time.

They expected those demands to drop once Spring Training opened. They did.

But before the Phillies signed Merrifield, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski asked Thomson to call Merrifield.

“To make sure he would describe the role, which would not be an everyday role,” Dombrowski said. “And Whit told Rob Thomson that he would be happy to accept the role. He understood what the playing time was.”

Thomson liked Merrifield’s response: “But I’m going to play well enough to get more at-bats.”

Merrifield slashed .291/.337/.434 with a .771 OPS and a 106 OPS+ in his first six seasons with the Royals (2016-21). He slashed .262/.308/.379 with a .687 OPS and a 92 OPS+ over the last two with Kansas City and Toronto.

The Phillies think Merrifield’s production might benefit from less playing time. Merrifield thinks a couple bad months skewed his numbers, alongside some mechanical flaws and the pressures of facing free agency for the first time.

Philadelphia's roster is mostly finished. Dombrowski said 12 of the 13 position players are set if everybody stays healthy and Rojas makes the team. Jake Cave and others figure to battle for the final bench job. Dombrowski said the rotation is set, with a couple bullpen jobs available.

“You can always get better,” Dombrowski said. “There’s no perfect club. We like our club. We’ll be open-minded, but I can’t say that we’re actively looking.”

Not after they got Merrifield.

“I don’t think he’s scared, which is going to be great for us,” Bryce Harper said.

What does Merrifield think Harper meant by that?

“I love the moment,” Merrifield said. “I've got this deep-rooted self-confidence that is just … I think it's the reason I'm 35 years old [and still] playing, because there are people that are far superior in talent than me, but I've had this confidence in myself from a young age. And it’s just, I want that moment.”