Marlon Byrd joining Reds via trade
— -- The Cincinnati Reds have acquired veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, the teams announced Wednesday.
He gets $8 million next season on the final year of a two-year deal that includes an $8 million team option for 2016. The Phillies included cash to pay part of Byrd's salary as part of the deal.
"Marlon will give us power and run production, and he can play left field," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We expect him to provide a big bat and balance in the middle of our lineup."
Philadelphia received minor league pitcher Ben Lively in return.
Byrd, 37, is a career .278 hitter with 131 home runs in 13 seasons with Philadelphia, Texas, the Chicago Cubs, Washington, the New York Mets, Pittsburgh and Boston.
He hit .264 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs in 154 games with the Phillies last season.
The Reds, who had been in the market for an outfield bat so far this offseason, considered free agents Michael Morse and Norichika Aoki, among others, before consummating a deal for Byrd.
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. already has traded away shortstop Jimmy Rollins ( Los Angeles Dodgers) and reliever Antonio Bastardo (Pirates) this offseason. He is expected to continue exploring trades for pitcher Cole Hamels, first baseman Ryan Howard and other veteran players in the coming weeks as part of the team's rebuilding process.
The 22-year-old Lively made 26 starts last season at Class A Bakersfield and Class AA Pensacola. He combined to go 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA, and was named the organization's minor league player of the year.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Related Stories
ABC News Live