The Boston Red Sox saved a ton of money after making a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past season and now they are looking to spend it.
The team agreed to a 3-year, $39 million deal with free agent outfielder Shane Victorino on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com. The deal is pending a physical, said a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations to the website.
Victorino is spending time with his family on a snorkeling trip in Maui, but took the time to confirm the news on Twitter.
"Just agreed to join the Boston @RedSox in the middle of paradise," Victorino tweeted. "#BLESSED!!! Can't wait to get to Boston!"
Victorino played for the Philadelphia Phillies for many years and was traded midseason in 2012 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. With both teams he combined to hit .255 with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs, 29 doubles, 152 hits and and a .704 OPS. He also was 39 of 45 on stolen bases and had 47 extra-base hits.
The 32-year-old switch hitter will give the Red Sox flexibility in the outfield since he can play multiple positions. While he is a natural center fielder, Victorino will likely play in right since the Red Sox have All-Star Jacoby Ellsbury in center.
Victorino has won three Gold Gloves in his career and has made 148 career starts in right field. Fenway Park is known for its unique right field dimensions.
"In our ballpark, we'd like to have someone who's played a lot of center in right field," said Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington. "There are guys out there who have done both. If you've played a lot of center field and have played in different parks, then it may be a little bit of an adjustment. But you can figure out right field at Fenway."
Boston manager John Farrell also commented on the outfield while at the winter meetings in Nashville.
"It's probably the toughest right field in baseball to play, just in terms of the space to cover," Farrell said to ESPNBoston.com. "So that range comes into play, and yet you try to combine the best range available with some offensive production. It might not be your prototypical type of right fielder where it's a power bat, because we do value the defense in that area. That's not to exclude anyone, but defense takes a high priority in that position at Fenway."
The Red Sox have a deep roster of young talent in the outfield with players like Ryan Kalish and Bryce Brentz, but Victorino gives the team an established veteran who has the ability to make defensive plays all over the outfield.
"(Signing Victorino is) not related; it wouldn't be related specifically to any other potential move," Cherington said. "But generally, everything we're trying to do this offseason has sort of a short-end, long-term reason and hopefully fits into the -- I don't want to say our five-year plan because that's too far out -- but medium-term plan."
Vicorino had issues hitting against right-handed pitching in recent years, but has a career batting average of .275 with 90 home runs and 409 RBIs. He has averaged 10 home runs and 45 RBIs per season in his career and has an OBP of .341.
Vicorino had the best two seasons of his career in 2008 and 2009 when the Phillies made it to the World Series in back-to-back seasons.
The team won the championship in 2008 with Victorino hitting .293 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. The following season he hit .292 with only 10 home runs, but improved to 62 RBIs and also had 39 doubles. In the championship season, Victorino hit .269 in the playoffs with two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Victorino was drafted in 2003 by the San Diego Padres and moved to the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft in 2004. After becoming a starter in 2006, he was a staple in Philadelphia's lineup, playing at least 131 games for six straight seasons. He has been an All-Star two times and won the Branch Rickey Award in 2011.
The Red Sox have been busy at the winter meetings and look as if they will continue in that manner.
"Wouldn't rule out adding two outfielders to the mix," Cherington said to the Boston Globe. "We'll see what's attainable."
Last season the Red Sox were one of the most inconsistent offensive teams in baseball and the addition of Victorino could help the team with manufacturing and driving in runs. He also gives the Red Sox insurance if they decide to trade Ellsbury, who will be a free agent after next season.
The team also signed free agent Mike Napoli on Monday to the exact same contract terms as Victorino and previously signed outfielder Jonny Gomes and catcher David Ross to short-term contracts. Although Napoli hit only .227 last year, he can play both first base and catcher and is a home run threat every time he is at the plate.
Boston is still looking at other options, including Cody Ross, who played with the team last season. Ross hit .267 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs and was one of the biggest surprises for the Red Sox in 2012.
"Obviously, I don't want to say too much about the specific nature of the conversations (with Ross), because they go back a ways," Cherington said. "As of now, we haven't been able to find something that makes sense, but the door is still open. We'll see what else happens. Again, he's got other options, too. We talked during the season and right after the season. Then we've talked since then, but obviously we weren't able to reach an agreement earlier in the process. ... We've kept the dialogue going, kept the door open, but it just hasn't culminated into anything yet."
The team is also in the market for pitching and has been mentioned in trade rumors with the New York Mets for pitcher R.A. Dickey. The Red Sox could also look at Zack Gerinke or Anibal Sanchez but it is believed that those two are out of the price range Boston is looking for.
The offseason has been moving in a positive direction after a tumultuous 2012 regular season for the Red Sox. The team was one of the worst in baseball and finished with a 69-93 record after coming into the season with playoff expectations.
Boston fired first-year manager Bobby Valentine after only one season and hired away John Farrell from the Toronto Blue Jays to take over. During the season, the team traded away superstars Adrian Gonzalez, starting pitcher Josh Beckett and outfielder Carl Crawford to Los Angeles and saved $250 million in future contracts.
Boston posted a .426 win percentage last season, the third lowest winning percentage in 70 years for the team.
