Blue Jays' GM Ross Atkins was thrilled with the deadline-beating deal.
"He (Merrifield) is such a good player. He is very accomplished with incredible experiences, the versatility, the contact ability, the speed, playing multiple positions, incredible baserunner, feel very good about him at so many different positions and that versatility will help us down the stretch … we're very well covered now," Atkins told a Zoom call minutes before the Jays opened their nine-game road trip in Florida.
The GM didn't bite when asked about his plans for get vaccinated or if he'd be pitching at the Rogers Centre any time soon.
"He was acquired right at the deadline, so this is a very fresh acquisition and so because of that I'm not going to comment more on that process for him, and let him work through that with his family. I've basically said hello to him and that's it," added Atkins.