The Mets announced they have signed OF Marlon Byrd to a Minor League contract with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
Byrd, 35, hit .210 with two doubles, one home run and nine RBI in 47 games combined with the Cubs and Red Sox in 2012. He served a 50-game suspension for a PED violation last year.
In 11 major league seasons with the Phillies, Nationals, Rangers, Cubs and Red Sox, Byrd has hit .278 with 525 runs scored, 217 doubles, 82 home runs and 445 RBI in 1,103 games.
Byrd hit .293 with 84 runs scored, 39 doubles, 12 home runs with 66 RBI and was named to the National League All-Star team for the Chicago Cubs in 2010.
Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:
Byrd is right-handed, and he theoretically has some power, so that gives him a leg up in the outfield competition this Spring. Byrd was a highly touted prospect when he came up with the Phillies back in 2002, but he just didn't live up to the expectations. His best season was in 2009 with the Rangers when he hit 20 home runs, but he hasn't done much outside of that year, although he was an Al-Star with Chicago three years ago. He has historically hit both left-handed pitching and right-handed pretty well and he's a decent defensive player at best, but I'm sure his stock took a hit between his lost season and PED violation last year. But he finds himself in a place of opportunity with the Mets, so hopefully he can show something in the outfield this Spring.