Marlon Byrd to sign with Philadelphia Phillies, according to multiple reports
Marlon Byrd bats in the second inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. (July 22, 2013) Credit: Jim McIsaac
It looks like Marlon Byrd will be back in the National League East -- and with his original team.
The outfielder, who revived his career with the Mets and Pirates in 2013, is on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the Phillies, pending a physical, according to multiple reports. The deal will pay Byrd $16 million in total, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. That amount would be a big raise from the $700,000 he made in 2013.
Byrd, 36, was drafted by the Phillies in 1999 and played parts of his first four MLB seasons with the club.
He hit .291 with a .336 on-base percentage and a career-high 24 home runs in 2013. Byrd started the season with the Mets, for whom he hit 21 home runs, before he was traded, with catcher John Buck, to Pittsburgh in August. It was Byrd's second 20-homer season and first since 2009.
Byrd played in just 47 games during the 2012 season, splitting time between the Cubs and Red Sox and batting only .210 with a single home run. He didn't play after June 8 after getting suspended for taking a banned substance.
Byrd is a career .280 hitter with a .336 OBP and 106 home runs in 12 seasons with the Phillies, Nationals, Rangers, Cubs, Red Sox, Mets and Pirates.
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