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CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies signed utility player Whit Merrifield to a one-year deal worth $8 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to The Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday. The deal includes a club option for a second year that comes with a $1 million buyout. His salary in the first year will be $7 million. According to ESPN, Merrifield can make a maximum of $16.6 million, including bonuses, over the two years. Merrifield, 35, will give the Phillies insurance in the outfield, where Johan Rojas remains largely unproven as a major league hitter and Brandon Marsh is working his way back from a…

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