Last week, the Cleveland Guardians designated outfielder Oscar Mercado for assignment.
They had grown tired of this lack of production at the plate, and needed the roster spot.
After a strong rookie season in 2019, in which he slashed .269/.318/.443 with 15 homers and 15 steals, he failed to be even an average offensive player.
After being DFA’d, he was waived by the Guardians.
As it turns out, he has a new home.
“The Phillies have claimed outfielder Óscar Mercado off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians, President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today,” the Philadelphia Phillies tweeted on Monday.
The Phillies have claimed outfielder Óscar Mercado off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians, President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 27, 2022
The Phillies are not a bad landing spot for Mercado, but they are not quite ideal.
Mercado Will Need To Improve To Find Playing Time
Philadelphia is not really known for its player development skills, and it’s clear Mercado has some things to work on with his swing and overall game.
As of Monday, he is hitting .202/.227/.377 in 119 plate appearances.
That’s not much better than last season, when he hit .224/.300/.369.
However, the Phillies have some clear depth issues in the outfield, and Mercado, with some modest improvements, can secure some playing time.
He will need to show something, though.
All things considered, it’s a low-risk move for the Phillies, since it didn’t cost anything in terms of prospects or money.
Mercado is also relatively young, at 27 years old.
He has some power and speed, but that 2019 home run output may have been inflated by the juiced ball, as his minor league numbers don’t really back that up.
As long as he can improve his decisions in the batter’s box and improve the quality and quantity of his contact, Mercado should at least have some chances to play in Philly.
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