Phillies Sign Delmon Young

The Phillies announced that they signed Delmon Young to a one-year, $750K contract. The deal includes roster and performance bonuses that could bring the value of the contract to the $3.25MM range, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Phillies are looking for the former first overall pick to compete for playing time in the outfield.

“Delmon is an experienced major league bat who will add some depth to our relatively inexperienced outfield and another layer of competition for playing time there as well,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said.

The Phillies had internal debate about Young for weeks, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). While ownership was nervous about his off-field issues, the team needed a right-handed bat. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, who first reported the Phillies' strong interest in Young, heard from Amaro that players with off-field questions won't necessarily deter the Phillies if they can contribute on the field.

Young joins Darin Ruf, John Mayberry Jr., Domonic Brown and Laynce Nix as a contender for playing time in left and right field. The Phillies had also considered signing Scott Hairston and trading for Vernon Wells. However, those moves seem less likely now that Young has officially joined the Phillies.

Young, a right-handed hitter, spent the 2012 season with the Tigers. The Wasserman Media Group client posted a .267/.296/.411 batting line with 18 home runs in 608 plate appearances. He's recovering from ankle surgery, but that didn't stop the Mariners from checking in on him earlier in the winter. However, the Tigers, Braves, Yankees and Indians didn't appear to have interest.