PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have acquired a new corner outfielder -- and they expect him to be their everyday left fielder.

The club announced on Friday that it has signed longtime Twins outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year contract. Multiple sources have told MLB.com that it's a $10 million deal.

¡°Our plans are to have him play every day; we think he can,¡± president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Friday afternoon. ¡°He hit left-handers better last year, but he¡¯s traditionally been a better hitter vs. right-handed pitching. We think he can play vs. both. We¡¯re looking at him playing every day.¡±

Kepler, 31, is looking to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024 that included left patellar tendinitis and a hip issue. He posted a .682 OPS in 399 plate appearances in his final season with the Twins. Dombrowski said on Friday that Kepler underwent core surgery following the season to repair an injury that he played through for much of the ¡¯24 campaign.

¡°Well, Max was very careful. He said, ¡®I don¡¯t want to make any excuses,¡¯ but he did play with it last year,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°We¡¯ve had enough guys throughout my career that, when you play with that, it does affect you. It just does. You try to play through it, but it¡¯s not healthy.¡±

But when healthy, Kepler has been productive. From 2019-23 with Minnesota, he posted a .770 OPS and 110 OPS+. In 2023, he slashed .260/.332/.484 with 24 homers, 66 RBIs, an .816 OPS and a 120 OPS+ in 491 plate appearances. He had a career-high 36 homers and 90 RBIs in 2019.

The Phillies have been looking for outfield help since the end of the season, particularly after non-tendering Austin Hays in November. They¡¯ve also been looking to create a different look for the lineup.

Much has been made about the lineups¡¯ propensity to chase pitches out of the strike zone and swing and miss. Kepler doesn¡¯t chase. From 2019-23, he ranked 38th out of 202 players in chase rate at 25.2 percent.

¡°He has some pop. Last year it was down, but he does have some pop,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°He makes contact, he doesn't chase as much. So he has a lot of the qualities in an offensive player that we were looking to add.¡±

With Kepler set to play left field, that leaves Nick Castellanos in right field and some combination of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas in center. Though Kepler has been one of baseball¡¯s best defenders in right field, the Phillies are confident he can make the move to left field without any issues.

¡°We think it¡¯s easier to just leave Nick in right field, let him play out there,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°And we think Max will make that adjustment very comfortably, and he¡¯s willing to do so.¡±

From 2016-24, Kepler ranked first in baseball among right fielders with 57 outs above average. He ranks fourth in defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs.

¡°He is a good outfielder. He reacts well to the ball,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡° ... There's a little bit of adjustment with how the ball comes off the bat to left field, but we talked to Max and it's an easy adjustment, he feels, for him.¡±

This is the second free agent the Phillies have signed to a one-year Major League contract this offseason after inking right-hander Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal on Dec. 9.

Romano, like Kepler, is looking to bounce back following injuries in 2024.

The Romano and Kepler deals indicate that the Phillies are being very mindful of their 2025 payroll. Before the Kepler deal, FanGraphs projected the Phillies¡¯ payroll next year to be $289 million, putting them over the third luxury tax threshold at $281 million.

The third tax carries a 92.5 percent penalty for every dollar spent over $281 million.

Kepler¡¯s deal pushes the Phillies close to the fourth luxury tax threshold, at $301 million. Every dollar spent over $301 million is taxed at a 110 percent rate.

¡°I¡¯d be surprised if we got into impactful-type of free-agent signings from an offensive perspective,¡± Dombrowski said after the Kepler signing. ¡° ¡­ We're over $300 million in the threshold. Everybody we sign is a major penalty at this point. So you're cognizant of that.¡±

It remains to be seen how else the Phillies might try to upgrade their roster before Spring Training opens in February in Clearwater, Fla. Alec Bohm has been mentioned repeatedly in trade rumors, although the Phils insist they are not shopping him. They could use another late-inning reliever, although Dombrowski said last week at the Winter Meetings that they are comfortable with the bullpen.

The Phils could use a No. 5 starter, although those types of pitchers typically don¡¯t sign until later in the offseason.

Kepler has spent his entire 10-year career with the Twins. Signed as an international free agent out of Berlin in 2009, he started eight consecutive Opening Days in right field for Minnesota, matching Tony Oliva for most in club history. His 1,072 games played are fourth-most among outfielders in Twins history, behind only Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, Torii Hunter and Oliva.

¡°I don¡¯t think I could have done much more as a kid from Berlin,¡± Kepler said in September. ¡°And I¡¯m not trying to prove it to anyone. This is proving to myself what I could have done. I¡¯m truly happy, and yeah, I just wish I could do a little more here now, but it is what it is.¡±