As expected, utilityman Whit Merrifield and the Toronto Blue Jays have both declined the $18 million option in regards to Merrifield’s contract for the 2024 season. Merrifield will now enter free agency, likely ending his stint in Toronto.
The Blue Jays acquired Merrifield during the 2022 trade deadline in a deal with the Kansas City Royals. Toronto sent over pitcher Maximo Castillo and infielder Samad Taylor for the veteran righty. After the trade, Whit Merrifield registered an OPS of .769. This was more than 120 points greater than his OPS before the trade in the 2022 season. With Merrifield’s success in the last few months of 2022, some Blue Jays fans were looking forward to seeing more of him going into 2023.
Whit Merrifield had a productive first half of the season, putting up a .286 average, .734 OPS, and a wRC+ of 106. However, after the All-Star Break, Merrifield was a complete liability. In the second half of the season, Merrifield put up a .256 average, a .656 OPS, and a measly 77 wRC+. In fact, in the month of September, Merrifield put up an abysmal 25 wRC+.
The 34-year-old ended the 2023 season with a .700 OPS and a below-average 93 wRC+. Also, Merrifield had an Outs Above Average of 0 in 2023, which is a middle-of-the-road total for defensive players. His 2023 campaign had plenty of highs in the beginning, but towards the end of the season, Merrifield became borderline unserviceable.
Despite Merrifield’s inconsistent 2023 campaign, he was still voted by coaches throughout MLB as a Silver Slugger finalist. Merrifield is the Blue Jays’ only 2023 Silver Slugger Award finalist.
As Whit Merrifield enters free agency, he is expected to receive a bit of interest from a few teams due to his versatility on the defensive side and his ability to steal bases. He can definitely hook onto a contender that requires depth or join a rebuilding team that needs a veteran to assist in developing young talent.
Cavan Biggio, coming off of a bounce-back 2023 campaign, will likely fill in the gap at second base. Biggio had an above-average 103 wRC+ in 2023.
Whit Merrifield will enter free agency for the very first time in his career. Merrifield’s name is already being linked to the Chicago White Sox as a potential landing for 2024.
It is expected to be a busy offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays after another underwhelming campaign. They have many other key decisions to make in regards to their other 2024 free agents, with Whit Merrifield likely being only the tip of the iceberg.
(Photo Via THE CANADIAN PRESS)