Phillies sign Grady Sizemore to minor league deal

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed outfielder Grady Sizemore to a minor league deal, according to a team announcement. Sizemore, who will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, will be able to opt out of his deal and become a free agent if he is not on the team's major league roster by the All-Star break, according to a major league source.

Sizemore will make the major league minimum if he makes the majors, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. He will also receive $1.25M from the Red Sox.

Sizemore, who was designated for assignment and then subsequently released last week, hit .216 with 2 HR and 15 RBI in 52 games with the Red Sox after signing an incentive-laden deal during the offseason. His lack of offensive production forced the Sox to make a move by inserting Brock Holt into the lineup as an outfielder.

Sizemore will provide depth for the Phillies, who have seen light offensive production from their outfield all season. He reportedly received serious interest from multiple teams, but saw a potential major league opportunity in Philadelphia and decided to see how things shake out as the trade deadline nears. As we wrote over the weekend, the Phillies are expected to shop outfielders John Mayberry Jr., Marlon Byrd and Ben Revere at the deadline, meaning that space will likely open up for Sizemore to be promoted in the next five weeks.

In parts of nine major league seasons with the Indians (2004-2011) and Red Sox (2014), Sizemore is a lifetime .266 hitter with 141 HR and 473 RBI. Before playing with the Sox this season, he had missed two consecutive seasons due to a variety of injuries, and was seen as an experimental piece who could help the defending champions in case Jackie Bradley Jr. didn't produce offensively. Instead, neither player was able to produce, meaning that Sizemore gets to move on to a new organization in hopes of regaining the form that led him to three All-Star appearances in a row from 2006 to 2008.