By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Nationals officially announced the signing of outfielder Nate McLouth to a two-year contract on Thursday.
The Baltimore Sun reported last week that McLouth, who joins the Nationals after putting together a pair of solid seasons with the Orioles, will be guaranteed $10.75 million over the life of the deal, which also contains an option for the 2016 season.
McLouth stole a career-best 30 bases while batting .258 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI as Baltimore's primary left fielder last season. The nine-year veteran hit .268 with seven homers and 12 steals in just 55 games with the Orioles the previous year.
The 32-year-old is expected to serve as a fourth outfielder with Washington, which looks to be set at those positions with Bryce Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth all returning.
"We felt that it was a good time to really invest in a player who could really help us off the bench, and is multi-faceted," said Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo. "This guy's got some pop off the bench, he can play above-average defense at three outfield positions and he can steal you a base."
McLouth owns a .250 lifetime average with 100 homers, 326 RBI and 129 steals over 515 career games with Pittsburgh, Atlanta and the Orioles. The left-handed hitter was a 2008 All-Star selection with the Pirates and led the league with 46 doubles while swatting 26 homers that year.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nationals-finalize-deal-with-mclouth