📢 TOP STORY: A subtle but intriguing move emerges as the Phillies re-sign a freshly non-tendered player to a minor-league deal ⚡.DD
Everyone deserves a second chance.
When the MLB non-tender deadline passed last Friday, Nov. 21, all the Philadelphia Phillies’ arbitration-eligible players were tendered contracts for 2026. The two surprises who weren’t offered contracts for next season were right-handers Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert. Neither was eligible for arbitration, but the Phillies obviously wanted to clear some room on the 40-man roster.
That wasn’t the end for Mercado, however. After being non-tendered and hitting free agency, Mercado was invited back just days later. Instead of testing the waters and trying his hand with another organization, the Phillies re-signed Mercado to a minor league contract that flew under the offseason news radar.
Phillies re-sign Michael Mercado after non-tendering the right-hander
As reported by Steve Potter of Phillies – A Fan’s View, the Phillies and Mercado agreed to the minor league deal on Nov. 24. It’s not entirely surprising to see this kind of move. Once the Phillies cleared the 40-man roster spot, they were free to bring the 26-year-old back without clogging up the roster space.
The Phillies acquired Mercado from the Tampa Bay Rays in November 2023. Despite struggling with walks, he put up a 2.07 ERA in Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2024, leading to a promotion in June. He made his MLB debut with an impressive single-inning relief appearance. He followed that up with a one-run, five-inning start to earn his first major league win. For a brief moment, it looked like he might unseat Taijuan Walker as the fifth starter.
That’s when the wheels fell off for the former second-round draft pick. Over his next three appearances, Mercado allowed 15 runs over seven innings, ending his time in the big leagues.
He got another crack at the big league bullpen this season but allowed five runs in three innings while striking out four and walking four. He spent the rest of his season in Triple-A, where he posted a 4.59 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 49 innings while again struggling with a high 12.9 percent walk rate.
Mercado was at one time ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Phillies prospects but gradually dropped out over the course of this season.
The Phillies are obviously ready to give Mercado another chance as bullpen depth for the organization. That seems to be where he’ll line up in the pecking order next season. With the six-month churn of the MLB schedule, there’s bound to be an opportunity for Mercado to get one more shot at showing the Phillies he’s worth keeping around.
