The Philadelphia Phillies signed free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd to a two-year contract on Tuesday, originally reported by the Mike and Ike show on 94WIP and confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The contract is worth $16 million guaranteed, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN, and includes a vesting option for 2016.
Phillies sign OF Marlon Byrd
Byrd will take over in right field for Philadelphia after signing a two-year contract.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sport
The Good Phight: There Is No Really Good Plan for the Phillies
The outfielder made just $700,000 in 2013 on a one year deal originally signed with the Mets. How much the new deal is for is unknown. The signing fits general manager Ruben Amaro's style of striking early in the offseason.
Byrd, 36, had perhaps the best year of his career in 2013. Over 117 games with the Mets, he hit .285/.330/.518 with a team-leading 21 home runs. He was traded to the Pirates in late-August and hit .318/.357/.486 over 30 games for Pittsburgh.
The Phillies will likely play Byrd in right field with Domonic Brown and Ben Revere in left and center field, respectively. The team struggled to find much consistency in right field in 2013 with Delmon Young, John Mayberry and Darin Ruf all seeing significant playing time at the position.
More from SB Nation MLB:
See More:
