Update 11:26am PST:  According to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, she Tweets:  Breakdown on #cubs deal with Marlon Byrd is $3 mill for 2010, $5.5 mill for 2011, and $6.5 mill for 2012. Not bad.

12/31 11:11am: The Chicago Cubs sign outfielder Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15 million deal on Thursday.  The Cubs have been actively pursuing the free agent center fielder since mid-December. Other teams that had been interested in Byrd included the Braves, Mets and Giants.

Byrd was in Chicago on Wednesday taking a physical with the Cubs’ team doctors. The deal is believed to be backloaded to give the Cubs a little more flexibility with their $140 million 2010 budget.

Byrd, 32, hit 20 home runs, drove in 89 RBI’s and had a .283 batting average while making $3.06 million with the Texas Rangers in 2009.

You can see Byrd’s statistics and contract details here.