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For a minute there it looked like a reunion between the Mets and outfielder Marlon Byrd was in the works, but today it appears that those hopes have been dashed.
Sources: #Phillies finalizing two-year agreement with Marlon Byrd. First reported by WIP in Philly.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 12, 2013
Leave it to Phillies general manger Ruben Amaro Jr. to give the aging outfielder a two-year contract. Byrd rejuvenated his career in 2013 thanks to the Mets signing him on a whim. The 36-year-old somehow managed to hit .291/.336/.511 with New York and Pittsburgh after looking like a washed-up player for the previous two seasons. Philadelphia's commitment is a bet on Byrd continuing to play like a starting outfielder in 2014 and beyond, which is likely a wager that Sandy Alderson wasn't willing to make.
Byrd's move to Philly will actually be a homecoming of sorts, as the Phils drafted him in he 10th round of the 1999 draft. Byrd spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his MLB career with the team before being shipped to Washington for another former Met, Endy Chavez, in 2005.