Cubs Solve Center Field Woes With The Landing of Marlon Byrd.

The Chicago Cubs took another outfielder from the Texas Rangers today (Thursday) when the club signed Marlon Byrd to a three year 15 million dollar deal.

This time, things should be vastly different then the Bradley experiment.

In addition to the signing of Byrd, the Cubs also signed Byrd’s old hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo who is said to have a hand in convincing the club to grab Byrd before it’s too late.

Byrd was ecstatic at the opportunity of becoming a Cub saying quote:

“When I knew I had the opportunity to become a Cub, I was really hoping this would be my landing ground.”—Cubs.com

Byrd hit .283 with 20 HRs and 89 RBIs last year with the Rangers, and while this is a significant upgrade for the Cubs hitting, it also overloads the team with right handed hitters; something that was prevalent in 2007.

The Cubs dealt with a rash of injuries last year that really kept them from doing anything significant during the season, despite still finishing second in the division; something that speaks volumes of what could be if the Cubs can remain healthy.

The cubs will still have to figure out their bullpen situation and another quality setup man—particularly a lefty—would be most beneficial.

For now, though, the lack of off-season movement for the Cubs and their fans has been settled with one big swing, and a friendly “Byrd” landing.