"The Phils initially acquired Mercado from the Rays in November of 2023. He was about to become a minor league free agent at that time but the Phils wanted him enough that they stopped that from happening. They sent right-hander Adam Leverett and cash considerations to Tampa and immediately gave Mercado a 40-man spot before he could hit the open market."
"Since being acquired, he has worked both as a starter and a reliever for the Phils, with some strikeout stuff but also a lack of control. He has thrown 118 2/3 Triple-A innings over the past two seasons, allowing 3.11 earned runs per nine while striking out 22.9% of batters faced but issuing walks at a 12.5% clip. An 80.6% strand rate seemed to help him out with run prevention, leading to a less optimistic 4.48 FIP."
"Mercado is clearly not fully established in the majors yet but the Phillies presumably like his arsenal. He had averaged 95.8 miles per hour with his fastball in his big league career while also featuring a cutter, splitter, curveball and changeup. He'll give the club some depth as he looks to earn his way back onto the roster. If he eventually gets his spot back, he still has one minor league option and just a handful of service"
Michael Mercado re-signed with the Phillies on a minor-league contract and will likely receive a spring-training invite. Mercado was non-tendered after not yet qualifying for arbitration, allowing him to hit free agency but enabling the Phillies to quickly re-sign him in a non-roster role. Philadelphia originally acquired him from the Rays in November 2023, adding him to the 40-man roster. He has worked as both a starter and reliever in Triple-A, showing strong strikeout ability (22.9%) but high walk rates (12.5%), a 3.11 ERA per nine and a 4.48 FIP, plus limited and uneven MLB results.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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