Philadelphia Phillies Sign Delmon Young

Oct 25, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Delmon Young (21) catches a ball during the sixth inning of game two of the 2012 World Series against the San Francisco Giants at AT

If I were free agent relief pitcher Jose Valverde, I’d be licking my chops because it is, apparently, sign Detroit Tigers castoffs that are terrible at baseball week. The Cleveland Indians announced a minor league deal with Ryan Raburn on Saturday evening, and today the Philadelphia Phillies announced that they’ve come to terms with Delmon Young.

"The Phillies announced that they signed Delmon Young to a one-year, $750K deal. The contract includes performance bonuses for the Wasserman Media Group client. The Phillies are looking for the former first overall pick to compete for playing time in the outfield."

First off, yes, let’s have a chuckle that this is the Phillies – a National League team – that has signed Young to play baseball for them when they don’t have a DH spot to use. So in order for Young to crack a lineup in Philadelphia, he’s going to have to be able to play the outfield. And as we all know, he can’t play the outfield.

Kidding aside, though, this isn’t a terrible deal. It’s not a lot of (baseball) money – just $750K – so they’re apparently not expecting a ton of performance. I had figured a few weeks back that Delmon Young could produce up to three-quarters of a win if he was used in a strict platoon role – defense included. If that’s what the Phillies have in mind, then fine. It sounds nothing like a guaranteed role or starting spot, so paying a smidge more than the minimum for a bat that is plus versus left-handers isn’t horrible.

That being said, HAHAHAHAHA. Delmon Young. In the outfield.

Just how they teach it.