Cubs, OF Byrd agree on 3-yr., $15M deal
December 31, 2009
CHICAGO (AP)—Outfielder Marlon Byrd(notes) agreed Thursday to a $15 million,three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Byrd hit .283 with 20 homers and 89 RBIs last season for the Texas Rangers.and will likely take over in center from Kosuke Fukudome(notes), who would move toright field full-time after the trade of troubled Milton Bradley(notes) to Seattle.
Byrd gets $3 million next year, $5.5 million in 2011 and $6.5 million in2012.
A career .279 hitter with 60 homers and 335 RBIs in 785 major league gameswith Philadelphia, Washington and Texas, Byrd will be reunited with former Texasand current Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. In three seasons working withJaramillo in Texas, Byrd batted .295 with 40 homers and 212 RBIs.
Byrd led the Rangers in game-winning RBI last season with 12 and hit .333with runners in scoring position.
He has played all three outfield positions during his career and had a .991fielding percentage last season with only three errors in 341 chances. He made100 starts for the Rangers in center field, 35 in left and six in right.
The 32-year-old Byrd originally was selected by Philadelphia in the 10thround of the 1999 amateur draft.
