Red Sox boost outfield depth with addition of Chris Young

In a move that boosts both their depth and flexibility, the Red Sox Monday agreed to terms on a multi-year deal for outfielder Chris Young.

A Red Sox source said the deal could not yet be confirmed, with Young scheduled to take a physical later this week. An industry source, however, confirmed the agreement.

The news was first reported by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

The team's interest in Young, 32, first surfaced as the GM Meetings in Florida earlier this month when the Red Sox met with the outfielder's representatives. Young is a 10-year major league veteran, having spent time with Arizona, Oakland and both the New York Mets and New York Yankees.

Last season with the Yankees, Young posted a slash line of .252/.320/.453 with 14 homers and 42 RBI. Against lefties, Young hit .327 with a .397 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .575. Those figures, however, were something of an outlier in his career, since his lifetime numbers are more modest against lefties: .263/.362/.474.

Still, Young will give the Red Sox necessary insurance behind both left fielder Rusney Castillo and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Castillo has been injury-prone in his brief major-league career while posting a career on-base rate of just .302.

Bradley, meanwhile, has not shown consistency at the plate. He had a torrid stretch in late July and August, during which he hit .446, but has otherwise struggled offensively with a career batting average of .213 in the major leagues.

Young is a capable outfielder who can play both corner spots and, for stretches, suffice in center. He's also a dead pull hitter, which should enable to take full avantage of Fenway Park's dimensions.

It's likely that he will be a fourth outfielder. He could share playing time with Castillo or platoon with JBJ, with Betts moving back to center.

It's also possible that signing Young could open the door to dealing either Castillo or Bradley to address some pitching needs. That scenario, however, is less likely, given that Young may not be considered an everyday player at this point in his career.

Also, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said earlier this month that the team was likely done with major trades and would attempt to fill its starting pitching needs through free agency.