Infielder Whit Merrifield has a humorous take about potentially signing with the New York Yankees. Merrifield says that he would be willing to shave off his beard in order to play for New York, if he was asked to sign.
Merrifield made the comments on the show Foul Territory.
Merrifield is a free agent who is currently sporting a thick beard. The Yankees are known for requiring players to remain clean shaven, in order to play for the team. New York also needs a second baseman at the moment, and Merrifield's name was thrown around as a possible addition.
“My wife would love for me to have to shave my face every day,” the infielder joked on Foul Territory.
Merrifield is a three-time All-Star who received that honor while playing for the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays. He's currently a free agent, after playing for the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies in 2024.
In his career, the infielder has 94 home runs and 485 RBIs.
The Yankees are looking to head back to the World Series in 2025
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The Yankees are adding some new talent this offseason, to offset the loss of Juan Soto. New York got stung when Soto decided this offseason to sign with the Mets, instead of staying with the Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees spent money this offseason on signing Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt as well as a few other players, to help the team once again make the World Series. New York lost the championship series in 2024 to the Los Angeles Dodgers, in five games.
Soto is a lot to replace. The slugger proved to be a valuable complimentary player to Aaron Judge, and the two worked in tandem to lift the Yankees offense. Judge had a record-breaking season for the Yankees, hitting home run after home run. Judge and Soto each batted in more than 100 runs.
It won't be easy for the Yankees to replace that kind of production, but that's what they are now tasked with. New York has a lot of competition in the AL East. The Boston Red Sox signed some quality arms this offseason in Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler, while the Toronto Blue Jays added Anthony Santander.
Yankees fans are hopeful that the club can finally get the job done. Former Yankees legend Derek Jeter is one of several people optimistic about the team.
New York hasn't won the World Series since the 2009 season.
