Just hours after acquiring Peter Bourjos off waivers from the Cardinals, the Phillies have avoided salary arbitration with the 28-year-old outfielder by granting him a one-year, $2 million contract.
Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com had the report first, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports disclosed the financial details.
Bourjos gets a slight raise from the $1.65 million he made in 2015, his second year of salary arbitration. The speedster hit just .218/.292/.342 in his two seasons with St. Louis, but he’s a tremendous defender in the outfield and should get a lot of use next summer with the rebuilding Phillies.
Philadelphia also avoided arbitration with infielder Andres Blanco for $1.45 million.