Upon signing with the Phillies as a free agent in 2024, Whit Merrifield figured he would get regular at-bats at multiple positions.
It didn’t work out that way.
Surely, then, Merrifield could relate to the deterioration of Nick Castellanos’ relationship with manager Rob Thomson last season over playing time, the fallout of which will lead the Phillies to trade or release Castellanos before spring training.
Merrifield, who retired last season, recently joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss that topic and more, including how his close friend Brad Keller will fit into the Phillies’ bullpen and the team’s unexpected pursuit of his former teammate Bo Bichette.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: What’s your view of the Phillies’ offseason? And where do you come down on how much change a team like that should be making to a roster that’s been together for a few years and had a lot of regular-season success, but just hasn’t gotten over the hump in October?
A: Well, there’s only one team that ends up winning the last game of the season. In baseball, man, that’s a hard thing to do. It’s such a volatile game. There’s so many ups and downs throughout the course of the year, so much has to go right at the right time for you to hoist that trophy at the end of the season. And for Philadelphia, they’ve got all the pieces. It just hasn’t quite peaked at the right time for them. But if you’ve got a team that’s consistently winning the division, it’s hard to fault the guys in the clubhouse and want to go with new guys. That’s a little unrealistic, in my opinion, especially if you’ve got guys that love being in Philly, love being in the clubhouse with the other guys, love playing for the other guys. It’s another thing if the guys feel like they’re going through the motions. But that’s not the feeling you get in that clubhouse. It’s a very driven group of guys. It’s a group of guys that want to bring a championship to Philly. And it just hasn’t quite happened yet. But there’s 29 other teams that are trying to do the same thing.
It’s not just a matter of, let’s go get all the best players. I mean, it’s easy to say because the Dodgers have done it the last two years. But they about met their match last year, really. They should have lost that series against Toronto, in my opinion. There were some things that happened that allowed L.A. to win over Toronto that probably should have gone the other way. But it’s just not as easy as going out and just being like, ‘Oh, we’re going to go get the best pitcher. We’re going to go get the best position player.’ You’ve got to have the right group of guys in every city. And I think Philly does. It’s just a matter of them getting over that hump.
Q: Nick Castellanos clashed with Rob Thomson a few times last year, especially after he lost his everyday job, and the Phillies are going to either trade him or release him before spring training. As a guy who was used to playing every day when you came to the Phillies and wound up coming off the bench, what was the communication about playing time like with Thomson?
A: It’s a big transition. It really is. Because as an everyday player, you’re used to the flow of the season. You’re used to the mindset of understanding that you’re going to have bad stretches, you’re going to have good stretches, but over the course of the full season, if you just keep doing what you’ve always done and what you’re used to doing, at the end of 162, everything will work itself out. As a bench guy, you don’t quite get that luxury. If you’re in a cold stretch, I might not play for another week unless something happens — somebody needs a day off or something. And if you catch a heater, it’s like, ‘OK, I might be able to earn some playing time, earn some at-bats doing this.’
And so, there’s a lot more innate pressure and focus on what you’re doing yourself vs. being in the flow of the game, trying to contribute to the team and almost like just playing the game. And it’s easy to sit back and say, ‘Oh, well, you should just always be playing to win’ and all that. And that’s not quite what I’m saying. What I’m saying is you don’t think about yourself as much and how you’re doing as much when you’re playing every day, because you know you’ll be in there the next day. And when you’re not, it’s just a different type of focus.
I’ve always said it’s why I wasn’t as good in the minor leagues because the minor leagues is all about you. It’s all about yourself. It’s all about getting your numbers so you can get the hell out of there and get to the big leagues. And my numbers in the minor leagues were not very good, except for I had one really good year. But besides that, they were very average to below average.
When I was in Philly, I’ve told people before, I think Rob Thomson was the best manager I ever had. My favorite manager of all time. I loved him. In any job there’s times when you’re going to disagree with your boss. Your boss has ultimately got to make a decision. And there’s times when you’re going to disagree. I thought that, coming into it, I had a chance to compete for an everyday outfield spot. And after the spring training I had, I thought maybe I had earned a good run to start the year, and didn’t quite get it. But Topper was very up-front with me about what was going on. And like, ‘You’re going to be playing three days this week. We got you [for] two games this series. Hey, we’re going to try to get you in the Sunday game of this series. But it depends on if this guy needs a day off, whatnot.’ And I felt like he was very up-front with me. And if he wasn’t, he’s got a lot going on.
Look, his worry is not catering to me and worrying about my playing time. He’s got a lot going on. But if I was at a point where I needed some knowledge of what they were thinking, he was the easiest guy to go in and talk to. It was never uncomfortable to knock on his door. ‘Hey, Topper, you got a second? What’s the deal? What’s going on? I haven’t played in three days? Is that what’s happening?’ And he was very communicative.
So, I don’t know how he and Casty’s relationship was. I think Casty is a genuinely good-hearted dude. He’s a little different, and he’ll tell you — he’s just a little different. He’s a little different guy, and he handles things a little differently. He’s very blunt. He’ll tell you exactly how he feels. There’s a little Zack Greinke in him, where he just tells you what he feels. And there’s usually not malicious intent behind it, but it can sound like that sometimes. And I think there are just some things that happen that Casty didn’t like along the way, and he’s not the guy to hide his feelings or sugarcoat it. And I think it just kind of came to a head.
Q: You were part of the players’ negotiating committee for the last collective bargaining agreement in 2022. With the owners supposedly pushing for a salary cap this time around, do you think baseball is headed for the cliff after the season?
A: I don’t know. I know that there is a hard no, a nonstarting conversation — unless that’s changed over the last couple of years — with the [players’ association] on a salary cap. And so, I don’t know if the league is just continuing to say it as a posturing stance, or what the serious level is behind a salary cap. And I know it’s a nonstarter for the PA. … It’s a weird thing now, because it seems like the owners have always been together, and the players have always been together. But now it seems like the owners have turned on the Dodgers, and so now, it’s like they’re fighting the Dodgers, along with fighting the players. I don’t know where that leaves us, and I’m not overly optimistic that there will be baseball on time in 2027.
I haven’t been a part of those conversations in two years, so I don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors. And frankly, I’ve spent enough time doing it; I don’t care to know anymore. I just sit back and watch from afar, because those were some long nights and long hours that I’m not missing being a part of. … I don’t think it’s in a good place. How bad it is, I don’t know. But I’m not optimistic that baseball will be starting on time in 2027.
Watch or listen to the full episode for Merrifield discussing what the Phillies are getting in reliever Brad Keller, one of his best friends, why he was surprised they pursued Bo Bichette, and more.
