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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Marlon Byrd cashed in on his comeback season. Byrd and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Tuesday to a $16 million, two-year contract, a deal that came less than a year after he was playing in Mexicos winter league. The 36-year-old outfielder hit a career-high 24 homers last season for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh, which acquired him on Aug. 27. He batted .364 with one homer and five RBIs in six playoff games after hitting .291 during the season with 88 RBIs, one short of his career best. "Marlon adds a significant upgrade both offensively and defensively to our outfield," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "He has been particularly productive against left-handed pitching, which was a serious challenge for us this past season." Byrd was drafted by the Phillies and began his big league career in Philadelphia. His agreement calls for $8 million in each of the next two seasons and includes an $8 million team option for 2016, The option would become guaranteed if he has 1,100 at-bats in the next two seasons, including at least 550 in 2015, or 600 at-bats in 2015. "If you dont want to give up your first-round pick, Marlon Byrd is arguably the best available outfield bat," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "We feared he was out of our price range immediately. We stayed engaged in the process, and Marlon and his agents talked about wanting to come back to Pittsburgh. He loved his time there. The environment and playing for a winner and playing in front of that fan base was something that really intrigued him." A career .280 hitter with 106 homers and 533 RBIs, Byrd was released by Boston in June 2012, then given a 50-game suspension 11 days later following a positive test for Tamoxifen, which can reduce side effects of steroid use and increase testosterone. At the time, Byrd said he mistakenly used the medication for a recurrence of a condition that earlier required surgery. He says he did not use it for performance enhancement. He played winter ball for the Tomateros de Culiacan (Culiacan Tomato Growers) and signed a minor league contract with the Mets on Feb. 1. He wound up on their big league roster for a base salary of $700,000 and earned another $100,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances. Both the dollars and the years offered by the Phillies were at a level the Pirates were unprepared to match in talks with agents Sam and Seth Levinson. "The timing really bit us, and Ruben did a great job of going out and getting his guy early -- what we did with Russ Martin a year ago," Huntington said. "We werent in a position to be able to move this quickly." Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the deal was an indication of inflation in free-agent prices. "Had you asked me the question three or four months ago, I might have been surprised, but not in the light of whats happened since the end of the season," he said. "There havent been that many signings, but this one is consistent with the others." Philadelphia had sought a right-handed hitting outfielder with power since Jayson Werth left for Washington following the 2010 season. Ben Francisco, John Mayberry Jr. and Delmon Young werent solutions; Hunter Pence was acquired in July 2011 and traded a year later. Darin Ruf hit 14 homers in 251 at-bats last season while starting 27 games in right field, 15 in left and 28 at first base. But Ruf, a converted first baseman, is hardly the defensive player Byrd is and is viewed as a role player. Philadelphias outfielders hit .259 with 57 homers and a .407 slugging percentage this year. Byrd could be a major upgrade. "He is an experienced middle-of-the-order hitter who creates some balance to our lineup," Amaro said. "With his talent and clubhouse presence, we believe Marlon will be a solid addition to our club as we address our needs and plan to contend in 2014 and beyond." Byrd was once a prized prospect in the Phillies minor league system. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2003 after hitting .303, but struggled the next two seasons and was traded to Washington. Byrd has also played for Texas, the Chicago Cubs and Boston in a 12-year career with seven teams. He was an NL All-Star with the Cubs in 2010 and his best season before last year came with the Rangers in 2009 when he batted .283 with 20 homers and 89 RBIs. Nike Shox Clearance . The team said Saturday that the 36-year-old Robidas is expected to miss four to six months, jeopardizing his return this season. He was injured when he slid hard into the boards in the second period of a 2-1 shootout loss to Chicago on Friday. Nike Shox Discount . Al Horford said all he had to do was make the catch near the basket and then shoot a soft jumper. http://www.cheapnikeshoxretro.com/ . Goodell said in an ESPN Radio interview Monday (http://es.pn/1gkbauy ) that participants played harder and made the game very competitive. Goodell says he had fun watching the game Sunday and thinks fans did, too. Nike Shox Outlet Clearance .Y. -- The "for sale" sign is up at the Buffalo Bills with the hiring of financial and legal advisers who may begin talking with prospective buyers within the next month. Nike Shox Cheap Online . Bostons bats exploded in Mondays opener, as David Ortiz belted a pair of two-run homers, Stephen Drew homered and drove in four runs and the Red Sox pummeled the Blue Jays, 14-1.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith is waiting to select a backup quarterback. Watching a replay of the preseason finale at Jacksonville might make his decision an easy one. T.J. Yates made a strong case to be Matt Ryans backup Thursday night, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 win over the Jaguars. Yates had shown little in the teams first three exhibitions, completing 39.4 per cent of his passes, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Second-year player Sean Renfree posted better numbers and seemingly had an edge in the competition. But Yates shined against the Jaguars. "Things worked well tonight," said Yates, who spent his first three seasons in Houston. "Its taken me a little time to get use to this offence coming in so late. I was playing catch-up there in camp and preseason, and I was getting pretty frustrated with the way I was playing in some of the games. But I kept working hard, and coach gave me some more chances to do things." Yates highlight throw was a 67-yard touchdown strike to Freddie Martino in the second quarter, a deep ball that put Atlanta up 21-7. His other TD came on a swing pass to Antone Smith, who broke several tackles during the 66-yard catch and run. Yates completed 15 of 20 passes and was sacked twice. "I thought T.J. had an outstanding game," Smith said. "That quarterback battle has been an interesting one and thats going to lead us into a number of very difficult decisions." Renfree was 9-of-12 passing for 62 yards. Ryan didnt play, spending the game on the sideline with running back Steven Jackson and receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Harry Douglas. Defensive lineman Jonathan Babineaux also got the night off. Jacksonville held out a number of first-teamers, too. Quarterback Chad Henne, running back Toby Gerhart, safety Johnathan Cyprien, linebacker Paul Posluszny, left tackle Luke Joeckel, tight end Marcedes Lewis, defensive end Chris Clemons and defensive tackle Roy Miller were among the teams healthy scratches. Kicker Josh Scobee, safety Winston Guy, cornerback Alan Ball, safety Craig Loston, right tackle Austin Pasztor, guard Zane Beadles, offensive tackle Josh Wells, tight end Clay Harbor and defensive tackle SenDerrick Marks were held out because of injuries. With Henne resting, first-round draft pick Blake Bortles got the start for Jacksonville and extended his impressive preseason.dddddddddddd Bortles completed 4 of 6 passes for 86 yards, including a 57-yard TD strike to fellow rookie Marqise Lee on the first play of the second quarter. "I probably waited too long to get to Marqise, but he did a good job of beating his guy off the line, getting downfield and making a play," said Bortles, the third overall pick in Mays draft. Bortles completed 32 of 51 passes for 521 yards in four exhibition games, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Despite Bortles steady improvement, hes a lock to open the season on the bench behind Henne. "As a competitor, you want to play," Bortles said. "You want to go play, obviously, but I think you have to understand your role. I understand mine. Chads our starter and Im the backup. Now my role kind of shifts. Ive got to go get try and get work in and get better at practice, do stuff for the defence on scout team and improve in those ways." Henne ended the preseason 25-of-38 passing for 230 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions. More pressing questions for Jacksonville involve the offensive line. Rookie centre Luke Bowanko, a sixth-round pick from Virginia, started in place of Mike Brewster and looked sharp again. Brewster played in the second half and grounded a snap past quarterback Ricky Stanzi — his third bad snap of the preseason. Brewster could go from being the starter to being on the street when final roster cuts come Saturday. "When you have a couple bad snaps in the first game and then you throw a low one back there in the last game, I mean, yeah, its not a comforting feeling," Brewster said. "But I know I can play in this league. I have played in this league. "Its tough, so well see. Whatever happens, happens. I cant blame anybody but myself, and whatever the problem is, Ive got to move beyond that and not let it keep on." NOTES: Jaguars WRs Tandon Doss (ankle) and Ace Sanders (leave of absence) made their preseason debuts, but Doss sustained another ankle injury and could be out a while. ... Jaguars rookie CB Rashaad Reynolds left with a hand injury and will need surgery. ... Falcons rookie RB Devonta Freeman had 87 yards — 42 rushing and 45 receiving. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '