Blue Jays: The pros and cons of adding Whit Merrifield

The pros of the 11th hour swap

We’ll get to the concerns I have about the trade shortly, but for now let’s the celebrate the good.

First and foremost, and as I already mentioned, the Blue Jays were coming up against the deadline and were in danger of missing out on a piece to help the offence. The other three players they had acquired will all boost the pitching staff, but that wasn’t the only area of need for the roster.

Merrifield is a versatile and experienced veteran that is a capable defender at second base, and also in the outfield. His ability to move around will come in handy, and it could allow him to see more regular playing time as well. In the short-term, Merrifield could be a useful guy to have around to help cover for the absence of George Springer, who I still believe will end up on the Injured List at some point sooner than later. Hopefully Springer’s absence won’t be a long one, but Merrifield certainly provides an insurance policy up the middle, and as a hitter near the top of the order, where he has spent the bulk of his career.

There’s no denying that the 33 year old is having a tough year, but he’s still young enough that a change of scenery and a pennant race could do him a world of good. He’s a 2x All-Star who played in the midsummer classic as recently as last season, and he’s a career .286/.332/.425 hitter with 174 stolen bases over his seven-year career, including an AL-leading total of 40 in 2021.

As if that all doesn’t sound good enough, Merrifield is playing on one of the most team-friendly contracts in all of baseball. According to spotrac.com he’s making just seven million this year, 2.75 million next year (including a four million dollar bonus if he spends less than 110 days on the IL this year, which won’t be a problem), and a mutual option for 18 million in 2024 that includes a $500,000 buyout. That kind of contract control isn’t easy to find, and when it comes attached to a player who was an All-Star last season, it almost never happens.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to like the trade for the Blue Jays. Merrifield has a long history as an elite contributor in the big leagues, even if 2022 hasn’t gone according to plan, and his production is certainly worth rolling the dice on.

The cons of the last minute deal

If you were like me, you probably spent far too much time on Twitter over the few days in a futile effort to keep up with the trade deadline. Personally, I was awake until past 3am on Monday night, and I was sure that news was going to break any minute.

As more rumoured targets found new teams, it was clear that Ross Atkins and company were going to be working against the clock to make their final roster tweaks ahead of the deadline. In some ways it felt like there must have been back-up plans, as Mitch White was acquired in what felt like moments after the Noah Syndergaard to Philadelphia trade was announced.

When it comes to the Merrifield deal at the buzzer, I’m genuinely curious how much discussion went into it ahead of time. I’m not at all suggesting that it was a blind last minute offer, but the fact that Merrifield’s vaccination status was still up in the air after the deal was a surprising red flag.  Not to come down on the newest Blue Jay, but the reality is that he can only play games on one side of the border if he isn’t vaccinated, and that’s a bit of a problem. We’ll see how this resolves over the next few days, but right now there are a lot of people questioning the Blue Jays front office, and if this goes sour for some reason then they will be justified.

On top of that concern, Merrifield hasn’t been the same player this season, and you have to wonder if he’s started his decline phase, and if so, how steep it’ll be. He’s slashed just .240/.290/.352 this season, all career lows, and he’s never been known for his power. He has still stolen 15 bases in 18 attempts, but he hasn’t been able to provide the same value with the stick this year. That could change with a fresh start and a new motivation, and I’m sure that’s what the Blue Jays are banking on.

As a third and minor nitpick, Merrifield adds yet another right-handed bat to a lineup that’s already full of ’em. We’ve heard for months about how the Blue Jays could use a left-handed bat to compliment the talent they already have, but they had to settle for a righty that’s had a pretty good career in the batter’s box. This is a minor gripe, but still one worth mentioning.

The last thing I feel I have to point out regarding the cons of this deal is the price. I’m actually okay with the value of Max Castillo and Samad Taylor heading back to Kansas City, but I’m surprised the Blue Jays felt they could afford to give up Castilllo when they are so short on viable rotation options for their big league club. Castillo was basically serving as the safety net in case Yusei Kikuchi falls apart again, and while I realize that Mitch White can serve in a similar capacity, I’m still surprised they didn’t add more depth. That feels like a mistake to me, even if I hope I’m wrong.

At the end of the day, I think it was a trade worth making for Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays, and I hope that we see what Merrifield is fully capable of. If that’s the case, this trade will turn out to be a steal. On the other hand, there’s always the risk and possibility that things could go sideways too. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this ones plays out.