Aug 12, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius (18) tosses his helmet in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports Kyle Ross
It's not quite the New York Mets having to pay Bobby Bonilla $1.19 million every July 1 despite him not having played for the franchise in over a quarter century, but the Phillies will still be paying two former players in 2025 that won't be part of the team.
In fact, neither even finished the 2024 season with the Phillies.
Whit Merrifield was signed to a one-year/$8 million deal last February as the Phillies attempted to find a player capable of playing all over the diamond for them. The pact included an $8 million club option for 2025, which had a $1 million buyout if not picked up.
As it turned out, Merrifield didn't even make it through a full season with the Phillies, as he hit .199 with a .572 OPS in 53 games with the team. He was released in mid-July, a move that automatically voided his 2025 option and left the Phillies on the hook for a $1 million buyout.
Merrifield finished the 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves, and is currently a free agent. But whether the three-time All-Star plays this upcoming season or not, the Phillies will pay him $1 million, and it will count towards the luxury tax threshold.
Meanwhile, Didi Gregroius hasn't played for the Phillies since being released in August of 2022. In fact, he hasn't played in the majors since then. But the Phillies signed him to a two-year/$28 million deal in free agency in January of 2021. That deal included deferred money, as the sport was still dealing with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the 2020 season to be shortened to 60 games with zero fans in attendance.
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Here's my first 2025 Phillies Opening Day lineup projection. Hint: It's not what you might expect. @OnPattison https://t.co/qNxPtzQNSC
Gregorius initially joined the Phillies on a one-year/$14 million deal in December of 2019, a pillow contract after an injury-plagued final season with the New York Yankees. To his credit, Gregorius was tremendous during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hitting 10 home runs, driving in 40 runs and posting an .827 OPS while playing in all 60 games. That made him a popular player with fans, despite zero of them being in attendance for his best moments on the team. So the Phillies got creative as they tried to bring him back.
$9.5 million of the two-year/$28 million deal Gregorius signed to return to the Phillies was deferred. According to The Associated Press, Gregorius' deal called for him to be paid $2 million every Feb. 1 from 2023-2026.
Gregorius' deferred money will not count against the luxury tax threshold. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals have deferred significant chunks of contracts into the future, lowering the present-day hit on the luxury tax threshold in deals with players like Shohei Ohtani and Max Scherzer. It's something that's likely to be a point of contention during the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations after the 2026 season. The Phillies, though, haven't generally made a habit of deferring money.
You can stay up to date on the projected 2025 payroll of the Phillies using On Pattison's tracker.
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